


The Face of Danger

by Warriorette12



Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz, NCIS
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Originally on FanFiction.net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 03:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 21,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7918717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warriorette12/pseuds/Warriorette12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shortly after Ark Angel, Alex finds himself in a situation with the NCIS crew. A case has blown wide open right in front of him. A case related to SCORPIA...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. This is shortly after Alex Rider's adventure in Ark Angel. It seems fitting since Jack is already staying in Washington D.C.
> 
> 2\. This is randomly in between seasons 6-9 in the NCIS timeline.

A small stone bounced noiselessly across the street and into a gutter; something that could only happen if a car or bike knocked it out of the way or if someone had kicked it. Indeed, the latter had happened. Alex Rider was walking down that very street, minding his own business. It had been two weeks since his ordeal with the ruthless Nikolai Drevin, two weeks since landing in the South Pacific Ocean near Australia after destroying Ark Angel and exactly one week since moving in with Jack and her parents in Washington D.C.

It had been decided, after being dragged aboard the USS Kitty Hawk that he would stay on an SAS military base. But Alex, determined to be reunited with Jack, insisted that he be sent to America. The journey took two days, by plane, and the whole time, Alex couldn't help but wonder what would happen if Ark Angel had made it's catastrophic crash on the Pentagon. Millions would have been killed, that was for sure. But what about him? MI6 only wanted him for missions but where would he live once they didn't need him? After the near 48 hours of contemplation, Alex decided it would be best to shove those thoughts from his mind.

At last, here he was, on the way back to the house. He had told Jack that he would be at the house by 6:00 and his watch told him he was running out of time. Maneuvering around dozens of people, Alex suddenly missed the semi-quiet streets of Chelsea; Washington was so busy. Around the time when his watch said 5: 45, Alex heard a gunshot from across the street. He ducked instinctively, but regained his posture after realizing that it wasn't aimed at him. Instead, he turned to face the building where the noise had come from, just in time to see a stream of people running from a building with a great dusty sign overhead: Romano's Bar.

Without thinking, Alex sprinted across the street, ignoring the blaring car horns, and faced the bar. He dove into the rush of people, them being unaware that a child was heading in the opposite direction. He soon found himself in a bar room littered with tables and glasses. The room had a strong smell, making Alex wrinkle his nose in disgust. He was about to leave when he heard voices coming from a back room. Angry voices.

Careful not to make any noise, he tiptoed to the door, thankful that it was ajar. Looking in, he found two men; one was holding a pistol in his right hand and holding the second man against the wall with his left. Alex noticed that the man against the wall was looking pale, blood was dripping from a wound in his foot. The man holding the gun suddenly spoke.

"Now," his voice was raspy, as if he had a sore throat and was out of breath, "I really didn't want to do this, Leon. I'm your mate, y'know. But Caspian wanted the goods you stole last week."

"I don't give a damn what Caspian wanted. I quit, remember?" the man called Leon said.

"You should know better than anyone that you can't just quit. You're a dead man, Peters." Another shot was heard and plaster rained down on the both of them.

Alex stuck his head in a bit further until he could see Leon. The other man had his back to him but Alex saw that the man had a tattoo of a star on his neck. This could be useful later. Leon suddenly reached for the gun.

"Be reasona-."

Another shot made Alex cringe and close his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, Leon was lying on the ground, his hands frozen at his throat. The other man was gone.

"Oh my god."

Alex spun around to find a tall, policeman staring at him. No, not him, the body behind him. Alex cursed himself quietly. A man was dead and he, Alex Rider, was caught at the crime scene. The policeman glanced at Alex then walked past him. He knelt beside the dead man and felt his neck. "Ugghhhh…" he groaned as he withdrew his hand, which was now crimson. Then he noticed something glimmer on his neck. At first he thought it was the bullet but then he saw it was a rectangle. A dog tag.

"Army," he said to himself, "Or Navy…" he turned to see Alex. "You need to stay here."

"I need to be home by 6:00." Alex said simply.

"Do you have a phone? A number we can contact?"

"Here." Alex produced a small white cell phone and sat down at a nearby table. He already knew what the officer would tell Jack.

xxAlexNCISxx

"Okay, what have we got here?"

Jethro Gibbs' watch said 6:45. The entire NCIS crew minus Abby Sciuto and Ducky Mallard was crowding around the body of Leon Peters. He was still in the position he was in at his time of death.

"Tag says 'Leon Jacob Peters.'" Timothy McGee said, taking pictures of the corpse with Tony. "Notice the bloody ring on his finger? He's married."

"No duh, McGenius." Tony mumbled.

"He's covered in bits of plaster." Ex-Mossad, Ziva David, pointed out. She looked up. "There's a bullet lodged in the ceiling, yet it's not the one that shot him."

"Found it!" Tony dropped his camera and reached for his latex gloves, having spotted a glint of red and silver beside the body. He held it up to the light.

"Stop staring at your reflection and get it over here, Tony." Gibbs said. Then, he pointed at Leon's body. "Get this to autopsy, we need to know what happened."

"I know what happened."

The entire crew spun around to see a young boy with blonde hair sitting at a nearby table. He seemed completely at ease watching them, a bottle of water in his hand. He seemed ordinary enough: plain jeans and a red tee shirt.

"Who're you?" Gibbs asked.

"Alex Rider, sir." Alex said, putting down the bottle and standing up. "I had to stay here as a witness."

"A witness?" Ziva asked, curious.

"Yeah, I…saw what happened."

There was a split second when Gibbs looked back at his team. Then, he made up his mind.

"We're all going back to HQ. DiNozzo, the kid goes with you and McGee. Let's move!"

Alex took a deep breath and followed the team out.

"Hey kid, you're with us."

Alex turned and followed the two men standing in front of a black Honda and slid into the back seat. They drove off.

"So, kid-." Tony began.

"Alex."

"Alex, sorry. You sound British."

"I am. I'm from Chelsea."

"What're you doing here? Holiday?"

Alex hesitated. He didn't know how much he was allowed to reveal. "I'm…here…visiting my grandparents." Well, Jack's parents might as well be.

"Ah," Tony said. "The old Gramps and Grams."

"Ignore Tony," the other man said turning around. "He's younger than you."

"Shut up, McGoo."

"Are you two good friends?" Alex thought. They sure reminded him of himself and Tom. Just older.

"Professionally speaking." Tony said, pulling up in front of NCIS headquarters.


	2. Recoil

Chapter 2: Recoil

The elevator ride up to the bullpen was a quiet one. Alex was thinking about the situation he was currently in; how on earth did he get into this just days after settling into normal life again. Usually, he would say that trouble finds him, yet this time, he was stupid enough to look for trouble.

Well, he didn't know if he was in trouble or not. He was a witness, there would be questions, that was for sure. It was suspicious enough that a fourteen year old was hanging around a bar in the middle of D.C, but just how suspicious? Would he need to reveal his true identity and would MI6 or the CIA allow it?

Ding.

The elevator doors opened onto an orange room. There were a few desks and Alex recognized the traditional office look. Ziva was already sitting at her desk. She looked up, saw both men flanking Alex, and began talking.

"Petty Officer First Class, Leon Peters. Lived in Georgetown, Washington D.C. Born November 11, 1980."

"November 11? That's pretty symbolic, don'tcha think McGoo?"

"McGoo?" Alex asked, trying not to laugh.

Tony turned to Alex with a smile and said, "Oh, McGee goes by many nicknames…"

"Oh no-." Timothy McGee groaned, walking back to his desk.

"Probie," Tony began, "McGeek…McGoo… McGoogle…McGeekle…McGenius…"

"OKAY!" McGee said, "I think he gets it!"

"Gets what?" Alex let out a slow whistle as Gibbs appeared out of nowhere. He was sipping a cup of Starbucks coffee.

"Nothing, boss," Tony said, suddenly more serious, "Just discussing the identity of the body."

"And?"

"Petty Officer Leon Peters, boss."

"Good." Gibbs pointed at Alex. "Come with me, Alex."

"For interrogation?"

"First, we visit the autopsy. Ducky was interested to meet you."

As they headed for the autopsy, Gibbs added, "Did Tony also mention Elf Lord?"

"Elf…Lord?!" Alex burst out laughing.

xxAlexNCISxx

"Ah, Gibbs!" A white haired man said as Alex and Gibbs entered the room. The dead body of Leon Peters lay between them.

"Eugggh." Alex groaned as he found himself looking into Leon's throat.

"Indeed. " Ducky said taking off his gloves and extending a hand to Alex. "I'm Dr. Mallard, but please call me Ducky."

"What do you have for me Duck?" Gibbs said from behind Alex.

"Death caused by asphyxiation. The bullet severed his trachea, cut through his central cord and exited out the back of his head. Death came less than a minute later. There is a second bullet in his right foot and bruising around his throat but neither of these caused this poor man's death." Alex noticed the bullet lying beside the body.

"This is a 9x19 mm Parabellum." Alex blurted out. His short experience with the Navy taught him this little piece of knowledge.

If Gibbs was shocked, he didn't show it. Ducky, on the other hand, looked stunned. "Yes. How did you know that?"

Alex hesitated again. "My…dad used to collect guns."

"Where is he now?"

Alex looked away. "Dead."

"Oh," Ducky put his gloves back on. "So sorry to hear that my dear boy."

"It's okay. I was just a baby."

There was a small silence.

"Okay Alex, before I take you to the interrogation room, Ducky here is gonna run some tests."

"Tests?" Alex did not like the sound of that.

"A medical exam. He'll check your medical history, run some blood tests, and the usual checkup stuff."

"Okay." Alex said. He quickly looked up. "Please don't be alarmed when you see my medical history. I'm…accident prone."

That much was true. Alex usually came home from missions with more than a bump or scratch- MI6's job was to fabricate a cover up for it all.

Gibbs nodded, sipped some more coffee, and left the room.

"Now, Alex," Ducky said. "You don't seem to be in shock. Let's check-."

"OW!"

While he was talking, Ducky placed one hand on Alex's right shouder. Wrong spot. Alex couldn't help but cry out in pain; his shoulders were still tender from being hunched up inside Gabriel 7. Ducky pulled his hands back.

"Are you injured? How did it happen?"

Alex shrugged.

"Do you mind taking your tee shirt off?"

Alex had no choice; it would be suspicious if he refused. He slowly took off his shirt, wincing at the look on his face. Alex knew he had countless scars, his chest probably looked like a representation of a war zone.

"Oh my." Ducky whispered, tracing a finger along a long scar but not touching his skin. "How did this happen?"

Alex winced at the memory. A sniper had taken him down, barely missing his heart. He had been in the hospital for weeks, trying to get use back into his right arm. He could feel his heart pounding against the stitches he received. "It was a cycling accident." That was what the medical report on the incident said anyway, courtesy of MI6.

Ducky nodded. Alex could see in his eyes that he wasn't thoroughly convinced but decided to take it for now.

Alex could tell that Ducky was wincing every time he uncovered a new scar, but the rest of the exam went fine. At the end of it, Alex breathed a sigh of relief. He put his shirt back on.

"Well, you are certainly healthy; you're in perfect condition for a child of your build. How old are you?"

"Sixteen." Alex said quickly. After Ducky's reaction to his scars, Alex didn't want to alarm him further by saying he was barely a teenager.

At that moment, Gibbs returned. "Stats Duck." He said.

"Alex is perfectly fine. No signs of trauma, he's the picture of health."

"Alright then. Alex, with me."

Alex followed Gibbs out of the room thinking that he was a bit like Alan Blunt. Not really as cold but just as…well…blunt.

"Where are we going now?"

"Interrogation."

xxAlexNCISxxx

Now a thin metal table separated Gibbs from Alex. Alex looked at the darkened screen and knew that someone was standing behind it, listening to every word that was said.

"Alex," Alex snapped his attention back to Gibbs who had his hands clasped on the table. He meant business. "You're far too young to drink. What were you doing inside that bar in the first place?"

Alex looked back at the dark screen, then back to Gibbs. "I was curious."

"Curious?"

"To why everyone was running away. Why I heard a gunshot."

"I see…" Gibbs stared at him hard, trying to see into him. Alex put some of his skills into effect: he wiped all expression from his face and eyes, leaving a complete poker face. "You said that you have no parents, correct?"

"Yes, sir." Alex nodded. "I normally lived with my uncle but he died earlier this year. Since then, I've lived with Jack."

"Who's Jack?"

"My babysitter. Jack Starbright. She's been living with me and my uncle since I was five so she's considered family."

"Naturally."

Alex studied Gibbs. He had to admit, Gibbs was good. He still couldn't tell if the grey haired man believed him or not. There was a silence. Gibbs drew out a notepad and began to write something down. "Can you tell everything that happened. From the beginning."

"Okay, um, my watch said about 5:45 when I heard a gunshot coming from across the street."

"You were on the other side of the street?"

"Yes, I was trying to get to my grandparent's house. Well, they're Jack's parents so they might as well be. Anyway, I heard the shot and ducked."

"Why did you duck?"

"I…" Alex hesitated a bit. Why on earth would a normal boy duck at the sound of a gunshot? "Instinct. You would too if you thought you were being shot at."

Gibbs nodded. "Continue."

"I stood up again after I realized nothing was happening except for a bunch of people running out of the building and I got…curious. I ran across the street and went in the building. No one notices a kid going in the opposite direction as you when you're concerned about getting away."

From behind the screen, Ziva David stared, dumbfounded. "Here's a kid with an amazing intuition." She thought. She was sure that Gibbs was thinking the same thing too.

"Anyway," Alex continued. " I went in, looked around, and was about to leave when I heard voices in a back room."

"Voices?" Gibbs questioned.

"Angry, male voices. I hid behind the door and looked inside. There was a big, muscular man holding a gun and pointing it at a second man."

"Leon Peters was being threatened?"

"It sure looked like it. The second man was holding him against the wall with his left hand and holding the gun with his right. He was shouting something like 'I really don't want to do this. We're mates.'"

"They were friends…" Gibbs muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"He also said something about a man called Caspian wanting some goods that were a week late."

"Did Peters reply?"

"Yes, he said 'I don't give a damn about what Caspian wants' and then mentioned quitting something. The other man said that he couldn't just quit, simple as that."

"A gang probably."

"Maybe, Alex said, offhandedly. He was focusing on every detail on the events of that hour. "Leon decided to reach for the gun to stop the other man-."

"But he got shot." Gibbs looked up from his notepad. His expression seemed sad, in the tiniest way possible. Okay, Alex decided, this is what made him different from Blunt.

"Yeah. As the gun went off, I turned away. When I turned back, the man was gone and Leon was dead on the ground."

"Is there any way we can identify the second man?"

"There was a tattoo of a yellow star on the right side of his neck. A sign of a Marine."

"Yes." Gibbs said slowly. "How would you know that?"

Gibbs noticed that Alex looked uncomfortable. The boy had an uncanny ability to analyze situations, that much was clear. "Who is this boy?" Gibbs thought.

"Thank you Alex. Is there any way we can contact Miss Starbright? What is her full name?"

"Jack has never told me her full name. It must be short for Jacqueline or something like that but I don't know. I have my phone. You can call her on this."

Alex handed Gibbs the phone. "You may go wait outside." Gibbs replied.

Alex nodded at the dismissal and left the room. A he left, he heard Gibbs say, "You got that Ziva?"

It was like being in an interview; Alex had no idea if he had done the right thing, said the right things. What kind of impression did he make and, most importantly, did Gibbs believe him? If yes, he was safe. If not, there would be more questions. And the deeper NCIS dug, the more he would be forced to reveal.

He knew one thing: that the interrogation had only left him more confused than ever.


	3. Perception

As Alex closed the door to the interrogation room, Gibbs turned to the tinted screen. He knew that the ex-Mossad, Agent Ziva David, was watching him; she had been monitoring the conversation between Gibbs and the teenage boy and had heard every word that was exchanged.

"Did you get that, Ziva?"

Ziva spoke into a nearby microphone and her voice could be heard in Gibbs' ear. "The most obvious clue so far is that the killer has a tattoo of a yellow star on his neck. That narrows down the playing field."

Gibbs nodded, and then stood up. "Get these to McGee. I'm going to talk to the Director about Alex…"

"Don't you think Alex is acting a bit strangely for a child his age?"

"He's sixteen, teenagers act differently."

"I saw the way he was looking at you the entire time. He was analyzing you; scanning the situation. I saw how he wiped his face clear of emotion; he's either scared or really good at hiding."

"Hiding?" Gibbs was at the door, but he turned around to face the screen where he knew Ziva was standing.

"The truth, possibly."

"Hmmm." Gibbs left the room and found Alex standing in front of him, arms crossed. Gibbs looked hard at the boy. He was a handsome child, with his wavy blonde hair and brown eyes. His eyes. Alex's brown eyes showed nothing, just as Ziva had said, but he was smiling. It was a smile that made Gibbs soften just a little.

"C'mon." he said, walking down the corridor. Alex followed.

"Where are you taking me now?"

"To meet the Director."

xxxAlexNCISxxx

"Here's what we got. Alex told us everything he saw."

Ziva handed McGee the Gibbs' notepad. It was covered in notes of every detail and of Gibbs presumptions based on Alex's recollection. McGee took it and began typing. Ziva turned to Tony.

"Find anything else about Officer Peters?"

"Officer Peters has a wife and two kids, both children are under the age of five. Mrs. Peters is a nurse at Georgetown University Hospital."

"Nice going." Ziva turned back to McGee.

"Wait what? It took half an hour to find this out and all you say is 'Nice going.'?!"

"I have better things to think about other than compliments to you, Tony."

"Like what?"

"Alex, for one."

"Alex? What, you have the hots for him? He's way out of your league."

"Ha ha. Very funny." Ziva moved over to her own desk and sat down, only to get back up again and start pacing. "It's just…he seems different. When I was with Mossad, we were told to become emotionless. We had jobs to do, nothing more, nothing less. We were fighting and nothing changed that."

"And?" McGee said without looking up from his computer.

"You should have seen Alex when he was in the interrogation room with Gibbs earlier. He was the same way: cold and calculating. He still acted like a child, yes. But he seems to have the mind of a soldier, the eyes of a soldier."

"I got something!" McGee said suddenly. The large TV screen was suddenly on and a picture of a man appeared. "Petty Officer first class with Leon Peters. His name is Harris Baudin. Nationality, American-French. He resigned from the Navy two years ago. He's the only Officer attached to the description Alex gave."

"Where is he?"

"He hasn't been seen since then. Just…disappeared."

"Nobody just disappears, McGee," Gibbs said, walking into the room. "DiNozzo, Ziva, you two visit Mrs. Peters. McGee, keep searching. I want answers in two hours."

"Got it boss." The team said simultaneously. Ziva and Tony put their coats on and left via the elevator.

Gibbs glanced down at Alex, who had been observing the scene since Gibbs entered the room. Alex could admit it, he admired the NCIS team. The semi-casual atmosphere of the team was a relief to Alex compared to the CIA.

"McGee, on second thoughts, you can come with me to the crime scene."

"Surely we can't take Alex with us?"

"No, he'll stay with Abby."

xxxAlexNCISxxx

"It doesn't look any different from when we were last here, boss." McGee said, peering into the undisturbed back room.

"We're here for clues McGee, not her to play 'Spot the Difference'. Get searching." Gibbs bent down with a flashlight.

It didn't take long before Gibbs found what he was looking for. In the room, there was a billiards table. It seemed that the two men had been playing before the fatal argument took place and all the balls were strewn across the tabletop. Under the table, there was a silhouette lying on a sheet of paper. Gibbs shined his light under and focused on the object. It was a blood-stained gun, the murder weapon.

"McGee," Gibbs said, picking it up with his gloved hands and handing it to Tim. "These both need to go to Abby. I've got something to do."

"What?"

Gibbs stood up and looked McGee in the eye. "Do you remember Rule Number 3?"

"Don't believe what you're told. Double check."

Gibbs nodded. "I'm going to pay a visit to Alex's babysitter. I have a feeling we'll need to know who he is for this case."

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Back at headquarters, Alex was getting a lesson in forensics, when McGee came in holding a bag. As he passed Alex, Alex saw the gun.

"You found it?" Alex asked.

McGee looked at him. "Yeah." He turned to Abby and handed her the bag. "And a note too."

Abby took the bag with her gloved hands and thanked McGee. "Where's Gibbs?"

"He, uh…" McGee looked at Alex, who was watching them. "He's gone to meet someone."

"Jack." Alex muttered. He hoped that she knew what not to talk about.

"Huh?"

"Based on the way you're acting and the fact you looked at me suggests that it's someone I know."

Abby looked from Alex to McGee in shock. "Has Gibbs tried to recruit him?"

"Not yet." McGee said, smiling.

Abby took the note first. "This isn't in English."

"Can I see?" Alex looked over her shoulder at the note.

No, It couldn't be… Alex thought. How had he managed to have the rotten luck of crossing with them again?

The note was typed in French, that fact was clear to Alex. He remembered McGee saying something about Peters' killer being French. But one word kept appearing, a word that could be read in any language and stand out in anyone who knew about it.

One word that struck Alex numb with shock and fury.

SCORPIA…


	4. Suspect

Jack Starbright had just made herself some calming Jasmine tea when she heard the car pull up outside. It had been three hours since the police had called to tell her that Alex was involved in a murder and would not be home for a while. She couldn't help but feel exasperated: Alex was always involved in something. She was worried about what had happened to him in the space of the three hours. Now, she just wanted him back with her.

Pulling back the curtains, she saw the silhouette of a van, white letters spelling 'NCIS' shot out at her from the darkness. What was Alex doing with the Navy? She couldn't see Alex.

Five knocks on the door brought her out of her anxiety. She went over to the door and opened it to reveal a silver-haired man. He held up an ID and badge. "Good evening, I'm Special Agent Gibbs."

Jack opened the door a bit wider. "Come in."

Gibbs looked at her hand; she was still holding the cup of tea. "What kind?"

Jack looked down. "Jasmine…" her head snapped back up. "Where's Alex?" she asked.

"Don't worry about him, he's at NCIS headquarters and-."

"Is he okay?"

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't he be?"

Jack hesitated. She had signed the MI6's secrecy contract. "Alex is very…accident prone."

"Hmm…" Gibbs said, looking at the sofa. "So I've heard. May we sit?"

Jack moved and sat on the sofa she had been occupying before. Gibbs took a nearby armchair.

"So," Gibbs asked. "You and Alex are close?"

Gibbs noticed that when he mentioned Alex, Jack became more relaxed. "Sure. He's like a little brother to me. I love him."

"Alex told me something similar."

Gibbs looked around the room. The living room was tiny; it only housed the sofa, armchair and a small coffee table. A picture frame was on it. "May I?" Gibbs said, reaching for it.

"Sure, I was looking at it earlier."

The photograph was of two males. Gibbs recognized the younger male in the picture-Alex. The older man had one arm around him. Both were wearing ski suits, goggles, and were holding skiis. Gibbs turned the picture to Jack.

"Who is this man?" He noticed that she sat up straighter; Jack had suddenly remembered a similar question asked by a Mrs. Stellenbosch and became alert- that encounter had ended in a fight.

"That's Ian, Alex's uncle. That picture was taken two years ago."

"He does a lot of things with Alex?"

"He did."

"Did?" Gibbs asked, putting the photo back on the table and leaning forward. Jack stared at him hard; Gibbs didn't seem like a policeman but he sure asked a lot of questions. She wondered if Alex had told Gibbs anything. Gibbs stared back at her and, in the end, Jack was the one to look away.

"Ian died of… a heart attack… earlier this year."

Gibbs leaned back. He could tell by the way she looked at him that she didn't trust him. He didn't trust her either-she seemed almost as secretive as Alex. He decided on a different approach. "Tell me about Alex."

xxxAlexNCISxxx

"Alex? Alex?!"

"Huh?"

Alex woke up from his temporary stupor to find Abby snapping her fingers in front of his face. What had happened? Oh right. SCORPIA.

They were back.

"What was with you, Alex? You just went…a little weird."

Alex blinked and shook his head, removing all flashbacks about his last SCORPIA encounter. "No…I'm fine."

"You don't look it." McGee said quietly. "You're as pale as a ghost."

Both Abby and McGee were giving Alex strange looks. Nervously, Alex ran a hand through his hair and gave them a small smile. "I…just remembered something and… I guess I blanked out."

"You were looking at the note when it happened." Abby said, picking up the said note and looking at it closely. "What had Alex seen?" Abby thought. "Why is he acting so weird? This kid…"

"The note is in French." Alex said, trying to change the subject.

"You can read it?" Abby said, looking up eagerly.

Alex grinned sheepishly. "I'm fluent in French."

This information was new to the crew and there was no hiding the surprised looks on McGee and Abby's faces.

"May I have a sheet of paper?' Alex asked. "I can re-write it in English." He hoped he wasn't attracting unnecessary attention by offering to help or revealing his skills.

Abby gave him a sheet of blank paper and, without a word, Alex picked up a pen and began to work.

All the forensics specialist and agent could do was stare.

xxxAlexNCISxxx

It was 10:00 by the time Gibbs returned to NCIS HQ. The bullpen was empty except for Ziva, furiously typing on her keyboard.

"Hey boss, "she greeted, "Did you find anything?"

Gibbs turned to her. "Where's Alex?"

"He's still in forensics with Abby, McGee and Tony… Is there something wrong?"

"Not yet. Anything from Mrs. Peters?"

Ziva nodded. "She told us that her husband had received a letter in the mail last Monday and began acting strangely. She had tried to read the letter herself but it had been written in French and Leon had become very angry when he saw her with it. Apparently, he seemed angry and depressed at the same time since he had gotten the letter. At about 5:00 today, Leon left the house without warning. hadn't been in contact with him since."

"Did she say anything about Harris Baudin?" Gibbs asked.

"Apparently, she barely knew him. She said that Leon had introduced the two men at a party once but that was it."

"Hmmm…"

"Did you find anything from Alex's guardian?"

Gibbs didn't hear her; he was already on his way down to the forensics lab.

When he got there, he found McGee and Tony crowded around Abby's desk. Alex was sitting in Abby's chair. There was no sign of Abby herself.

"Oh, hey boss." Tony said, glancing up. "Alex, show Gibbs the letter."

Alex's head jerked up. Gibbs noticed a pencil in his hand and a sheet of paper in the other. Alex looked uncomfortable, but as Gibbs approached, Alex had no choice but to hand his note over.

Gibbs glanced at the note. Alex's handwriting was neat and he could easily read the note:

_Dear Mr. Leon Peters,_

_This note is a warning. Do not underestimate SCORPIA. You may think that you have escaped us by running away to the Navy, but you have only made yourself an enemy of SCORPIA. You, by now, know that your good friend, Baudin has joined our ranks. We believed that he could convince you to re-join our side- the right side. Do not forget that SCORPIA does not take too kindly to deserters- you are very lucky to have even lasted this long. SOCRPIA has decided to give you a second chance, a once in a lifetime opportunity._

_We know where you live. At 5:15 PM on Wednesday the 22nd, you are to leave your house without telling ANYONE where you are going. Turn off your cell phone and make sure you are not followed. Walk three blocks from your home until you are outside a building called Romano's bar. Go to the back room and wait. At 5:30PM, one of our agents will meet you there. Show the agent this note._

_We will give you one last chance. If you do not comply to our invitation and demands, the agent will kill you without hesitation. Once again, we know where you live and we will make sure you follow these directions exactly. If you do not, we will know and we will kill you._

_Do not underestimate SCORPIA. You have nowhere to run._

_ZK_

Gibbs looked up at Alex. Alex cursed himself in his head. He had been asking for this; offering to translate the note. Now Gibbs was going to ask more questions, he was sure of it.

Tony laughed lightly. "This case just keeps getting better and better, huh?"


	5. Obstacles

_ Dear Mr. Leon Peters, _

_ This note is a warning. Do not underestimate SCORPIA. You may think that you have escaped us by running away to the Navy, but you have only made yourself an enemy of SCORPIA. You, by now, know that your good friend, Baudin has joined our ranks. We believed that he could convince you to re-join our side- the right side. Do not forget that SCORPIA does not take too kindly to deserters- you are very lucky to have even lasted this long. SOCRPIA has decided to give you a second chance, a once in a lifetime opportunity. _

_ We know where you live. At 5:15 PM on Wednesday the 22nd, you are to leave your house without telling ANYONE where you are going. Turn off your cell phone and make sure you are not followed. Walk three blocks from your home until you are outside a building called Romano's bar. Go to the back room and wait. At 5:30PM, one of our agents will meet you there. Show the agent this note. _

_ We will give you one last chance. If you do not comply to our invitation and demands, the agent will kill you without hesitation. Once again, we know where you live and we will make sure you follow these directions exactly. If you do not, we will know and we will kill you. _

_ Do not underestimate SCORPIA. You have nowhere to run. _

_ ZK _

Gibbs looked up at Alex. Alex cursed himself in his head. He had been asking for this; offering to translate the note. Now Gibbs was going to ask more questions, he was sure of it.

Tony laughed lightly. "This case just keeps getting better and better, huh?"

Alex felt uncomfortable; Gibbs was still staring at him. He knew that Gibbs had gone to visit Jack and now there would be questions. Alex just hoped that Jack had remembered the OSA.

"Nice jobs, Alex," Gibbs said. "Where did you learn French? School?"

"Yes, sir," Alex said. "And thanks. I want to help as much as possible. Especially since-." Alex stopped himself; the last thing NCIS needed was to know about his involvement with SCORPIA.

Suddenly Abby appeared from behind the array of computers behind them all. She was carrying a large cup labeled 'Caf-Pow!' and a cup of Starbucks coffee. She handed the coffee to Gibbs.

"Learn anything?" she asked.

Gibbs turned the note to her but she waved it away. "Not that, Alex did that for you. Don't take credit for that." This provoke a small laugh from Alex.

"Nothing, no." Gibbs lied. He was still trying to figure out the boy in front of him. "Jack says hi, Alex. She was upset that you couldn't go home just yet."

Alex was stunned at this. He stood up quickly. "What?! You mean I'm not going home?"

"Not yet. Until the Director says otherwise, you are under witness protection. You'll be staying with me."

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Alex's eyes snapped open.

The clock beside the bed which Alex was occupying read 5:00AM. Voices, coming from the living room, were floating down the hall and through Alex's closed door. For as second, Alex sat there, frozen. Then, he kicked off his covers and tiptoed out of his room and down to the end of the hall.

Peeking around the corner, he could see three figures, all masked. Alex heard his name being repeated in their conversation, over and over. They didn't seem to be armed, but Alex wasn't taking any chances. The teen decided to try and warn Gibbs. Unfortunately, he had last seen the NCIS man in the basement and hadn't heard Gibbs go to bed, meaning, he was still downstairs across- and the basement door was across the room.

Alex took one step forward… and screamed in pain as a bullet grazed his side. He stumbled back and fell…into the arms of a second man. Only the man's eyes were visible, full of malice.

"You." the man hissed.

Alex gritted his teeth against the pain and kicked out at the man's shins, bringing him down. At the same time, Alex twisted the man's arms so that he ended up behind the man. He kicked the man in the back of the head, knocking him out. The other three men tried to grab him but he used his martial arts skill to subdue them. He grabbed one and held him in a headlock. "What are you doing here?" Alex shouted.

Before any of them could reply, the basement door swung open. "Freeze!" Gibbs appeared holding a pistol. "Stay where you are!"

Alex breathed a sigh of relief. He dropped the man he was holding and collapsed on the ground, exhausted. Gibbs handcuffed the three men, never taking his eyes off the tired boy. How on earth did Alex hold his own against three armed men? Gibbs wondered.

As Alex lay on the ground, Gibbs noticed blood seeping through Alex's shirt. He picked Alex up and put him on the nearby sofa, intending to examine Alex's wound.

"Don't…" Alex whispered. Then, he fell asleep.

Gibbs pulled up Alex's shirt and gasped. Ducky had been lying, Alex wasn't fine. His numerous scars supported Alex's claim of being accident prone but something about the scars seemed off. What has Alex done to get these?

So many questions, and so far, so few answers.

xxxAlexNCISxxx

When Alex woke up, he had to shield his eyes. Sunlight was streaming through a nearby window, splaying light onto the covers of his bed. He was back in his room. Recalling the previous night, he pushed back the covers; a bandage was wrapped around his waist. Gibbs' handiwork.

Gibbs!

Jethro Gibbs exited the elevator and stepped into the bullpen. "McGee, info."

"An AT&T Smartphone registered with Baudin was used at 4:30AM this morning and I have traced it to this address." He handed Gibbs a sheet of paper. Gibbs wasn't paying attention.

" 4:30AM?"

"Yes boss."

Gibbs thought. That is half an hour before those men broke into my house. Did SCORPIA send them?

"You okay boss?" Tony piped up from his desk.

"At 5AM this morning, four armed men broke into my house and attacked Alex."

Ziva looked up from her computer. "They were sent?"

"Possibly." Gibbs said. He turned to McGee. "Can you search up Alex Rider for me? A background check?"

"Yes boss." McGee said. "Did something happen?"

"Alex was attacked last night. For three minutes, he was alone with the men until I heard the men shout out. When I came up from the basement, I found Alex holding one of them in a headlock."

"What?!" The entire team shouted out in surprise.

Gibbs looked like he was about to say something else but shook his head. "I need to talk to Ducky."

With that, he left the bullpen.

Ducky wasn't expecting Gibbs in the morgue and knew something was wrong. "Jethro?" he asked.

"Why didn't you tell me that Alex had scars all over him?"

"Because…" Ducky took a deep breath, "I was just as shocked as you must have been. I didn't want to have to believe…"

"Believe what?" Gibbs encouraged.

"Did you see that long one? He's had stitches recently. Did Alex tell you it was from cycling?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Maybe. What about it?"

"Alex has been lying to us." Ducky said, shaking his head. "There was a smaller, redder mark in the center of that." He turned to Gibbs and looked him in the eye. "Only a sniper could inflict such a mark on Alex, Jethro."

Gibbs soaked in this new information. He had made up his mind in a second. "I'm going back home. I'm bringing Alex back with me."

"Why?" Ducky called after the departing Gibbs. Gibbs turned back, a determined look in his eye.

"Someone has some explaining to do."


	6. Override

Alex winced slightly as he pushed himself out of bed. He knew that Gibbs had gone to NCIS HQ early and wouldn't come back until evening; Alex found a note on his door that told him not to leave the house or open the door to anyone. He was by himself. Getting dressed in a plain white shirt and jeans, he went downstairs.

A bowl of cereal later, Alex was lying on the sofa and watching TV. No- the TV was on but Alex was finding it hard to concentrate; all thoughts went to the previous night. Why were those men here? Did they have anything to do with the case? They said my name…What if-."

The teen's thoughts were interrupted by the sharp vibrate of his cell phone against his thigh. Pulling it out, he recognized Jack's number.

"Hey Jack."

"Alex!" Jack sounded frantic and relieved at the same time. "Are you okay? Where are you? I spoke to some…Gibbs, from NCIS-."

"Jack, relax." Alex said calmly. "I'm at Gibbs' home for this Witness Protection thing. I'm fine, well, better than I usually am anyway."

This got a laugh out of Jack. Alex heard it and sighed. The last few months had put so much pressure on Jack, what with Alex being on missions, he rarely heard he laugh anymore. This was one reason he hated being an agent.

"You said that you met Gibbs."

"Yeah."

"What did he want to know about?" Alex almost held his breath, waiting for a response.

"He wanted to know more about you."

Alex winced again, this time, it having nothing to do with his wound. He suspected that Gibbs was curious about him. Jack must have sensed what Alex was thinking.

"Not really about you're…you know, spy life. I don't even think he knows or suspects that. He just wanted to know about your favorite sports, school life, that sort of stuff."

Alex was relieved. Gibbs didn't suspect anything. He was almost in the clear-

"Alex?"

Alex froze. It wasn't Jack who had said that. This voice was much closer, in the same room as him. Alex turned around to see Gibbs standing in the doorway. Gibbs motioned for Alex to stand.

"Come with me."

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Gibbs and Alex arrived at NCIS headquarters half an hour later. The drive had been awkwardly quiet, as if Gibbs had something to say, but didn't want to say it. Alex just had a million thoughts going through his mind. Alex was relieved when they both stepped out of the elevator and into the bullpen. But Gibbs didn't stop there. A minute later, they were in Abby's lab. Every agent was there, even Abby and Ducky.

"Hey Alex." Tony greeted. Alex, uncertain, waved back.

"McGee," Gibbs said. "What did I ask you to do two hours ago?"

"You asked me to check Alex's background."

Gibbs turned to Alex, looking for the boy's reaction. What he saw was total shock. Alex couldn't believe it. He WHAT?! Alex thought.

"And?" Gibbs asked, not taking his eyes off Alex.

"School records show frequent absences, when he is in school, he has average grades. He's the captain of his school's soccer team."

"Anything else?"

"Anything else was blocked by the CIA, boss."

Gibbs was stunned. What was this boy doing with the CIA? Could he be a criminal? Alex sure didn't look it but, then again, appearances can be deceiving.

"What are you doing with the CIA, Alex?" Ziva asked.

"Classified." Alex said with a small smile. Tony scoffed at that.

"He has got to be joking…" he said before Ziva hit him on the arm. "Ow!"

"Thanks Ziva." Gibbs said. He turned back to Alex.

"Is there something we should know Alex?" he said, softly.

"No! That's the point of 'classified'. I'm not allowed to say, unless…"

Alex trailed off. He sat down at Abby's desk and put his head down on the table. "It's too complicated."

"Um, Gibbs," Abby said. "I don't think this was a good idea."

"Alex," Gibbs said. "Ducky told me about your sniper wound."

Alex's head shot up, startling the team. He then smiled weakly. "Who-who said it was a sniper wound."

"I know one when I see one, dear boy." Ducky said. "How did you get such wounds?"

"I-I need permission-."

"Which I'm sure we have." McGee said.

"You won't believe me…"

"Try us." Abby challenged. "We've had to deal with some pretty hinky stuff."

Alex hesitated. "Would you believe that I'm a spy?"

Abby thought for a second. "Well…no. That would be almost impossible in this day and age." she shook her head. "I don't believe it."

"Believe it. "Alex said.

"What's really going on, Alex." Ziva said, narrowing her eyes. "Even Mossad wouldn't use children as assassins. Or spies."

"Fine, don't believe me!" Alex said, throwing his hands in the air. "Maybe it's better that way."

"We just don't believe that a kid could be a spy!" Tony said, raising his hands into a defensive posture, "You can't exactly blame us for not immediately believing you."

"I didn't believe it either, "Alex said quietly, "When I was first offered the job. Or, at least, blackmailed into the job."

Alex watched the NCIS crew contemplate the possibility of Alex being a spy. The only person who hadn't spoken yet was Gibbs.

"Gibbs?" Alex asked. "Do you believe me?"

Gibbs looked down at Alex. As the boy had said that, Gibbs was reminded of a child's pleading. Gibbs felt sorry for Alex. "Prove yourself. My opinion can wait."

"Okay," Alex took a deep breath and thought. "Do you guys think you can contact Joe Byrne or Alan Blunt for me? I need to speak to either of them before I say anything."

Tony laughed. "Good luck with that! They're both at the top of their league. There's no way they'd want to talk to you."

Alex shook his head. "They said that if I needed help, they were available."

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Joe Byrne found himself staring at the NCIS bullpen; a live video chat had been requested by the Director but, to his surprise, he found himself face-to-face with the teenaged boy he met only a few weeks ago.

"Mr. Byrne!" Alex said once the familiar face showed up on the screen. "I need a little favour."

"Anything for you, Alex. You did us a great service by destroying Ark Angel."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Tony said from behind Alex. "Alex destroyed Ark Angel?!"

"Ark Angel was going to be used as a missile to destroy the Pentagon and, consequently, most of Washington DC. You all are still alive thanks to Alex."

The entire NCIS crew was struck dumb. Never had they imagined to be involved with something like this. Even Gibbs was stunned; he looked down at Alex and wondered How did this happen? Such a task for a schoolboy…

"But Alex is a child!" Ziva said. "Who in their right minds would hire Alex as an agent?"

"MI6." It was Alex who answered that question. "Joe… ? I became involved in a case with NCIS and they needed access to some of my records. Can you let them off the OSA if they just promise not to say anything?"

"I can be lenient this time." Joe Byrne said, looking proudly down at the teenager. "Congratulations on your mission and I hope we won't need you any time soon. Byrne, out."

The screen switched off. Alex turned back to the NCIS crew to find them all staring at him. Alex felt his face turn red as embarrassment flooded his body. But he had gotten what was necessary and so…

"What do you want to know?"


	7. Recall

_"What do you want to know?"_

That was the question, asked by the boy in front of them, that echoed in every agents' mind. The answer was, simply, everything. So many questions…

Alex could see that they were bursting with questions. All of them… apart from Gibbs, his face was blank. He just stared at Alex with an odd look on his face. Whether it meant something good, or bad, Alex didn't know.

Gibbs was actually thinking. How much has Alex gone through? What has he done? Gibbs had always had a soft spot for children but Alex seemed to be more of an adult. An adult, stuck in a child's body. He remembered what he overheard Ziva say: _the eyes of a soldier._

"When did you start doing this?" He finally asked.

Alex shuffled his feet a bit. "When my uncle died."

"Of a heart attack?" Gibbs asked. At Alex's puzzled look, he added, "Jack told me. Or did he die some other way that you don't want to tell us?"

"It wasn't a heart attack." Alex said. And he left it at that.

"Why did you freak out in the lab earlier?" McGee asked.

Alex blushed. "I-I didn't freak out."

"You went catatonic on us for a few seconds. What was that about? Was it something you read?"

SCORPIA. What would they say if they knew that he was associated with them, not as a spy, but as an aid? "Um…"

Suddenly, the screen turned on again, showing a bird's eye view of a building.

McGee ran to his desk and began typing furiously. "Got Baudin! He's just entered an abandoned building a few miles from here."

As the gang began to move, Alex let out a sigh of relief. Saved by the criminal, he thought. "May I come too?"

The gang exchanged glances. Spy or not, Alex could get hurt if a fight ensued. But Gibbs made the final call.

"Okay Alex, let's see what you can do."

xxxAlexNCISxxx

"Is this some kind of trend? I mean, what is it with bad guys and abandoned buildings?" Tony said as he let Alex out of the car.

They were here.

It did seem like an abandoned building, it was part of a complex of buildings that was accessible by a small pathway. This building was slightly disconnected from the other ones, all by itself. All the other buildings were in neat rows, stark white and had various lights coming through their windows .This one was dilapidated; age had taken over, leaving streaks of brown from dirt and rust, its windows broken. No sound came from it.

"Okay guys." Gibbs said, emerging from his own car. "Let's make this quick."

They just went straight through into the main part of the building; there was no door. Room after room was checked as they went down a narrow hallway.

Alex didn't like the fact that he was told to stay as far back as possible, beside Gibbs. And Gibbs could tell.

He looked down at Alex and smirked. "You want to be up front?"

"I don't like being in the back. I can defend myself, you know."

"No," Gibbs said. "I don't know. Because you don't want to tell us."

Alex sighed. "I'm not very good with talking about myself."

"Trust me." Gibbs said. "I've got a few secrets of my own."

The hallway ended with two double doors. Tony looked through a gap and saw that it led into a large, spacious room. Two figures were in the middle of the room. One man was wearing a dark, sleeveless shirt and Tony could see that he had a tattoo of a star on his neck.

Baudin.

"NCIS! Put your hands up!" Tony and Ziva shouted as they kicked open the door, holding their guns ready. The two men seemed to be expecting it though.

Baudin ran further into the room and up a flight of stairs as the second man picked up a gun. Everyone spread out and found hiding places as the man sprayed bullets around the room. Alex though, had a different idea. He kicked off his shoes and placed them so that they were visible to the man. Then he snuck around the edge of the room until he was behind the man.

The agents all poked their heads out of their hiding spots to try and get a good shot at the man, but stopped in surprise as they saw Alex.

The man saw the sneakers and started walking towards the hiding place. "I got you, kid."

Alex flung himself onto the man's back. "No you don't."

"Get off of me!" the man spat. Alex brought his foot up and kicked the gun out of his hand.

The gun discharged and a bullet hit Alex's hand, causing his knuckles to bleed. His grip loosened. The man used that advantage to fling Alex off of his back. The boy hit the ground, knocking the wind out of him. The man prepared to step on Alex and pin him to the ground.

Alex rolled out of the way and lunged for the gun. Grabbing it, he turned over and shot the man in the chest. The man crumpled.

"Alex!" Gibbs emerged from his hiding place. "What were you thinking?! You could have been hurt!" he then saw Alex's bleeding knuckles. "You _are_ hurt!"

Alex shrugged. "I've had worse."

"Got Baudin, boss." McGee said, dragging Baudin down the stairs. Already handcuffed, he stood, smirking at Alex, who was still on the ground.

"I saw you fight from the balcony." He said, moving his eyes to indicate to a balcony above the room. "You're pretty good. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"None of your business."

"Why did you kill Leon Peters?" Gibbs asked.

Baudin laughed weakly. "Didn't you read the letter? He refused to rejoin the club. SCORPIA wanted him dead."

"But he was your friend." Ziva said.

"He _is_."

"What happened in the bar?" Gibbs asked.

Baudin seemed to be thinking. "I was supposed to convince the idiot to rejoin SCORPIA. They would kill him if he didn't and I wanted to save him, y'know. Leon got angry and tried to attack me. We fought over the gun and I overpowered him." A sad look crossed Baudin's face, which quickly turned to anger as he looked at Alex again.

"I was going to get my money and leave. You ruined my plan. Now I'm probably going to get killed, you son of a-."

"Enough!" Gibbs said, holding Baudin as he began to try and run at Alex.

Baudin looked closely at Alex. "But then…you would ruin SCORPIA's plan. I recognize you, Rider, right? You were a good kid. But then you had to kill Rothman. Too bad that sniper didn't take you out when it had the chance!"

"What's he talking about, Alex?" Ziva asked, restraining Baudin. Alex paled slightly.

"They're looking for you now, y'know. They'll kill me, and they'll kill you too!"

Suddenly, Baudin froze, he toppled forward to reveal a bullet in his back.

"Told ya."

Gibbs held Baudin up, preventing him from hitting the ground. Baudin coughed once and looked at Alex.

"SCORPIA wants you back, Alex Rider."

 


	8. Suspicion

Alex didn't like feeling trapped, he never did. But now, he felt caged. From the front of the building, he watched men and women cart a body out on a gurney and haul it into an ambulance. Alex knew who was on the gurney because he was the one who inflicted the injury; he knew that doctors would find a bullet buried in the man's chest.

To give Alex credit, it was in self- defense. Only an hour prior to the ambulance's arrival, the same man being carted out had been trying to kill Alex and the NCIS crew that was with him.

_"SCORPIA wants you back, Alex Rider."_

Baudin's final words echoed in Alex's head.

Alex knew that questions would be asked when they all returned back to NCIS HQ, it was inevitable. Alex hadn't told then about his past. Alex had told Gibbs before: _"I'm not very good with talking about myself."_

But Alex didn't think that he could use that as an excuse this time. He had been identified by a murderer, which was serious. Now, spy or not, he would be a suspect of sorts.

Thus, Alex was trapped.

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Inside the building, Gibbs was thinking.

This wasn't odd for the silver haired man, it was his job to think. Especially when he had a strange case. Like this one. The body in the black bag that McGee was zipping up was their murderer.

Who had just been murdered.

They had caught the man and questioned him, preparing to arrest him, when someone had shot him in the back. _To keep him from talking?_ Possibly. That confirmed one thing: Baudin had indeed been hired, and that his employers weren't afraid to spill blood themselves. The suspect employers? SCORPIA.

Gibbs hadn't even heard of the terrorist group until the teenaged boy had translated a letter written by the group to the victim of the original crime that had gotten NCIS involved in the first place.

 _"SCORPIA wants you back, Alex Rider."_ Those were Baudin's last words.

But what was Alex's connection to SCORPIA? He had claimed to be a spy, maybe against SCORPIA, but that didn't explain why SCORPIA wanted him. Unless they wanted to kill him personally, like Baudin had said.

"All set boss." Ziva said, shaking Gibbs out of his thoughts.

"Let's go." He replied. As the gang walked down a narrow corridor that led outside, Ziva turned to Gibbs.

"A penny for your thoughts."

"Penny," Tony DiNozzo corrected automatically, "Its 'A _penny_ for your thoughts."

"That's what I just said." Ziva said.

"Oh. Really?! I've gotten so used to you getting it wrong…"

Gibbs smiled briefly as the two Special Agents began arguing.

As they walked out of the building, the sound of fading sirens could be heard; the ambulance was gone. The only vehicles left belonged to NCIS. Gibbs found Alex waiting, his arms folded; Gibbs unlocked his car and let him in, then slid into the driver's seat.

"Is he going to be okay?" Alex asked.

"Who?"

"The man I shot. If he dies, it's my fault."

"He won't die." Gibbs said, starting the car. Alex laughed.

"I've put some men in the hospital before," he smiled at the memory of the Force Three thugs. "But never _killed_ …"

Gibbs didn't know how to respond, so he didn't. The rest of the car drive was just as quiet; both males had a lot on their minds. Alex was reminded of a similar drive that ended in him revealing that he was a spy.

He wasn't looking forward to another interview like it.

xxxAlexNCISxxx

When Gibbs and Alex arrived at the bullpen, they found that the gang had beaten them to it; McGee was typing away at his desk, Ziva and Tony were talking. They all stopped when they saw the new arrivals.

"Do we have anything on our mystery man?" Gibbs asked Tony, although McGee answered.

"He has been identified, boss. Our man is James Malkey; date of birth is April 25th, 1975. Widowed- wife died three years ago. Unemployed. Apparently, he's Baudin's cousin on his father's side."

"Looks like being a gang member runs in the family." Tony said, smiling. "And we managed to nab both of them!"

"Yeah." Gibbs said slowly. He turned to Alex, who was still standing behind him. "All thanks to Alex."

All eyes were on the blond teenager now. Alex blushed.

"What is your relation to SCORPIA, Alex?" Gibbs asked. Alex stayed quiet and stared at the floor.

"C'mon," Tony urged. "You were the one who said earlier 'What do you want to know?'."

Alex still didn't say anything. Gibbs nudged him. "Come with me, let's go visit Ducky."

The team, stunned at Gibbs' sudden change of subject, stared at their boss. Gibbs mouthed to them 'Later' as he led Alex back to the elevator.

Halfway down, though, Gibbs pulled the Emergency Brake and the lights went off. Alex looked up at the man. "I'm guessing we're not going to see Ducky?"

"We will," Gibbs said, "After you tell me what's going on."

"I-I don't…"

"Don't talk about yourself, I get it." Gibbs said. He placed a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Look. A man that could have given us answers is dead because of SCORPIA. We need to know what we are dealing with. It'll help the case."

"You promise you won't tell? Or kick me out, or arrest me?"

Gibbs nodded. Although, why arrest would be necessary was beyond him. "I won't tell."

"Well…" Alex said, slowly, " I…kind of helped them."

"Why?" Gibbs asked. "I thought you were with MI6."

"I know." Alex said, shaking his head. "I was mad. Their leader, Julia Rothman, told me that MI6 was responsible for my parents' deaths…"

"…and you wanted revenge." Gibbs finished. Alex nodded.

"Yeah."

Alex looked directly at Gibbs. "SCORPIA's old leader, Rothman, ordered me to assassinate someone like her, Mrs. Jones. I couldn't…so, I didn't."

Gibbs nodded in understanding.

"Is that all?" Gibbs asked. Alex looked into his eyes and Gibbs was reminded of Alex's earlier interrogation.

"No."

"Are they the ones that sniped you?" Gibbs asked. "Y'know, because you didn't follow orders?"

"Um…" Alex paused, and then nodded. "Yeah, they did it." As he said it, he became conscious of his stitches. He shook his head, unable to meet Gibbs' eyes anymore.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this. This is so not like me. I mean, I've only known you guys for a few days…" He gulped and forced himself to keep looking straight ahead. "I-I trust you though. Please don't tell anyone I told you."

A smile flickered on Gibbs' face. "Mum's the word." He said softly as he flipped the Emergency switch. The elevator jolted back into motion and the two males were carried down into the depths of the building.

 


	9. Decode

It's quarter to midnight.

The doors to the Georgetown University Hospital ER slide back smoothly and a tall woman sidles in, an artful smile playing on her lips. Access to all the distressed patients in the hospital, she silently applauded her acting skills. Then she focused on the job at hand.

Patient Zero, as Kurst had called him, Room #305. The woman's sneakers squeak ominously on the tiled floor. She passes room after room. The sterility of the hospital is almost choking.

She opens a door at the end of the hall, she's found her victim.

James Malkey lay, still as a corpse, upon the hospital bed, fast asleep; she wondered if he looked just as peaceful in death.

"Oh, James…" she sighed. She didn't want to have to do this.

She sat down in a chair by the bed and stared at the man before her. She pulled out a syringe. Slowly pushed the syringe into the James' arm. Then she watched the black-grey liquid drain out, holding her breath. An envelope fluttered from her left hand and onto the floor.

She touched his face and kissed his forehead, then left the room. She went back to the front of the hospital and out to her car, unnoticed, not looking back.

It is five to midnight.

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Alex didn't sleep, no, he couldn't.

He was back at Gibbs' place, lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Moonlight was shining through the nearby window onto the bed. All was quiet, but Alex still tossed and turned.

 _What would Gibbs think of him now?_ He was pretty sure that Gibbs was somewhere downstairs, awake; he had never heard the man go to bed in the two nights he had stayed there. Talking to Gibbs had lifted some kind of weight off Alex's chest- probably due to hiding himself from the team- but it had been replaced with a new one.

Alex thought of his friend, Tom, and immediately felt guilty. It had taken him months to confide in Tom, constantly lying to him about missing school. Then, he manages to reveal a bit of himself to a man he only met two days ago. Alex punched his pillow. He suddenly felt energentic.

He got out of bed and glanced at his clock: 3AM. He probably wouldn't be able to get up later. Shrugging, he walked out of the room and down the stairs. Sure enough, he found Gibbs awake, in the kitchen. At the sound of Alex's shuffling footsteps, the older man turned.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

Alex shrugged.

Gibbs looked at the boy. Looking at the boy now, who was standing before him wearing a tee-shirt and boxers, his hair tousled, Alex seemed to be the opposite of everything he had told Gibbs and what Gibbs had observed. An ordinary teenaged boy into a spy…

Gibbs phone rang and he retrieved it from his pocket. Georgetown University Hospital. In a heartbeat, Gibbs knew something had either gone miraculously well or horrifyingly bad. He had a 50% chance of success.

The odds were not in his favor.

"Mr. Gibbs? We have…a situation."

Gibbs immediately turned to look at Alex, who was staring at him. "What's wrong?"

"The patient, James Malkey, is unresponsive and-."

Gibbs didn't wait for the voice to continue. He hung up and called Tony. The phone rang three times before Tony answered.

"Boss?" Gibbs could hear the sleep in his voice.

"Meet me at Georgetown University Hospital in twenty minutes." With that, Gibbs hung up.

Alex deduced that something had gone terribly wrong for Gibbs to act like this. _Had someone gotten to Malkey?_ The idea frustrated Alex. Without a word, he went upstairs and threw on some clothes. Heading back downstairs, he was relieved to find that, no matter how much of a hurry Gibbs was in, he had waited for Alex. Gibbs nodded at Alex and both males left the house wordlessly. Once in the car, Gibbs began talking.

"Do you think it's SCORPIA?"

Alex only gritted his teeth. Gibbs took that as a 'yes'.

Fifteen minutes later, they were rushing into the ER. A policeman shook his head and pointed at Alex. "The kid can't be here. Too dangerous."

"He's with me." Gibbs said. Alex glared at the policeman; he didn't like being called 'kid'. The policeman looked surprised at Gibbs' firm tone.

"But-."

"I said," Gibbs repeated purposefully, "He's with me." He kept walking and two other policemen walked forward to stop him.

"NCIS." Gibbs flashed his badge. "I was called."

The first policeman nodded and led Alex and Gibbs down a hallway and into James' room. Despite protests from the policeman, Gibbs walked forward. He couldn't see any difference. James looked fast asleep to him.

Until, he felt his hands-his ice cold hands.

"Dead." He said simply.

"We found an unknown toxin in his body." A doctor said, walking in.

"I knew it." Alex said quietly from beside him. The boy's hatred and frustration towards SCORPIA amplified ten-fold then.

"When was he found?" Gibbs asked.

"Ten minutes before you were notified, Mr. Gibbs."

Ziva suddenly appeared beside Alex. "What are you doing here?" Alex asked.

"Tony called me." She said simply. The man himself walked into the room.

"Hey boss," Tony said. "What's up?"

"Malkey." Gibbs replied, stepping aside for his agents to see Malkey's corpse.

"Just when we got him, too…" Alex said. The anger was almost radiating off him. _Couldn't they ever take a break?!_

Ziva stepped forward to examine Malkey more closely and stepped on a piece of paper. An envelope. She could see the words _Alex Rider Only_ scribbled across the front in a small print.

"Um…boss?" Ziva handed the envelope to Gibbs. Gibbs read the name and turned to Alex. The boy's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the envelope.

"Alex Rider only…" Alex reached for the envelope but Gibbs pulled back.

"Hey!"

Gibbs turned to Tony. "Déjà vu, Tony?"

DiNozzo gulped and nodded. He remembered the last time an anonymous letter was addressed to _him_.

"Give it here." Alex said, snatching the envelope from Gibbs.

"Alex!" Gibbs said angrily. But the boy had already torn the envelope and pulled out a small card. Alex opened it and paled.

"What the…" he gasped. He looked up at Gibbs and handed the card to him.

It was a colorful _Get Well Soon_ card. On the inside was a note:

Hello Alex,

This time, there will be no mercy.

And Malkey? The best weapon is always unexpected, almost invisible.

Let the games begin.

ZK

xxxAlexNCIS

"Invisible Sword."

That was the last thing Alex said to Gibbs before he went to bed. The exhausted teen dragged himself into his room and fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed. Unfortunately, he was plagued with nightmares and, before he knew it, Gibbs was shaking him awake.

Alex breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the vibrant orange in the bullpen; for some odd reason, he was beginning to feel as safe here as he did with Jack.

"Morning boss." Ziva said from her desk. "Alex."

"Hi." Alex said feebly. He was still thinking about the note. With no doubt, it was in forensics.

Alex silently prayed that Gibbs would want to go and check in on Abby. Gibbs looked at Alex and knew what he was thinking. "Abs hard at work?"

Ziva nodded. Alex stared at Gibbs as he followed the man. "Are you some kind of mind reader?" Gibbs chuckled yet didn't say anything. The moment that they entered the lab, Abby began talking.

"Hi Gibbs, hi Alex," she said. "How are you guys doing? Well, maybe I shouldn't ask that after what I heard about last night. The person who wrote it has a weird sense of humor. I mean, Get Well Soon? That's kinda creepy for a note threatening a kid…"

"Abby!" Gibbs said. Alex laughed as they both put on gloves.

"Yeah, well," Abby said, getting back on track, "I'm guessing it was written by a woman; no offense, but I've never seen a man's handwriting _this_  neat. I found fingerprints on the edge of the envelope, they confirm my suspicion of it being a woman. Look!"

Abby brought up a photo of an unsmiling woman. She had short blonde hair and a small face.

Alex couldn't believe it would be this easy to find her. He knew they would find her, but after reading the letter and after what happened to Malkey, he knew there would be some catch to it. But Alex would be ready. He saw the note, picked it up, and smiled.

"Let the games begin…"

 


	10. Combat

If one were to emerge from the elevator of the NCIS bullpen on Friday morning at 9:00AM, they would have thought that the Major Case Response Team was relaxing; an unbelievable notion of course—there was always something for them to do, even if cases were scarce— but physical evidence showed otherwise. A normally active McGee was clicking at his computer almost mechanically, staring into space. His colleagues, Agents DiNozzo and Ziva, were having a casual conversation about plans for the weekend.

Beneath the surface of their casual demeanor, however, each agent was thinking about the web that they had gotten caught in.

_"This time, there will be no mercy…Let the games begin."_

The terrorist group, SCORPIA, had already murdered James Malkey; leaving their message as an ominous threat, looming over the team's head. Alex had already told them about Invisible Sword, the horrible ultimatum that SCORPIA had tried used last time, against the United States but targeting London children. This time, it was one person being targeted: Alex Rider. The unnerving thing about the situation was that Alex had accepted the challenge with welcoming arms.

No matter what performance of quick thinking Alex had showed during the capture of Malkey at the warehouse, there was no way Gibbs would allow a child to face any kind of danger like this. Despite Alex's resourcefulness, Gibbs would bet on at least a few near-death experiences. He didn't want this situation to spiral out of control and actually end Alex's life.

While the team were deliberating , Alex and Gibbs had been busy trying to help track down the woman who murdered James Malkey. All they had to go on in the beginning was a partial fingerprint. Now, they had an identity.

"Janice Cartwright." Gibbs said, walking into the room, jerking McGee from his daydream, and Tony and Ziva from their conversation.

McGee immediately began looking for information. "It's probably an alias," he commented.

"Check it anyway." Gibbs said, looking at Alex.

Ever since the boy had told the team everything about Invisible Sword, he had been much quieter.

"Y'know," Gibbs said quietly as the team began to work, "If there's anything else…"

Alex looked up at Gibbs, into his deep, grey eyes. "I want to see Jack."

"I'll take you, if you want," Gibbs offered. He paused. "Y'know, normally I don't like spies. They get into everyone's business…"

"My enemies feel the same way." Alex grumbled.

"…but you're different, Alex. You're a sixteen year old kid and, no matter how much you've been through, I couldn't forgive myself if a kid got hurt."

"I'm always careful-."

"You've already been sniped at once; you've only survived by pure luck."

Luck. That was what this was. When the doctors had stitched him up, they kept commenting on how lucky Alex was. Alex was beginning to think that they were right. Not looking at Gibbs, Alex moved over to a nearby chair and sat down, thinking.

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Jack Starbright was lying in bed, staring at the white ceiling. She wasn't enjoying herself; just when she thought that Alex would finally have a break after Ark Angel, he had to get caught up in something new and leave again. She hadn't seen him since he'd witnessed that murder; it wasn't right. But when Jack pulled back the curtains of her room and saw the black car pull up outside the house, she immediately thought that, either she was dreaming, Alex was coming back, or something had happened to him. Fearing the latter, she drew the curtain again and ran downstairs to open the door, even before her visitors could reach it.

The agent she knew as Gibbs was standing before her, Alex was close behind him with a great smile on his face. Jack could see through his expression; he was worried about something.

"Hello Miss Starbright. I just thought that Alex deserved a visit."

"Come in!"

The two males crossed the threshold of the house and settled in the living room.

"How's the case going?" Jack asked, closing the door.

Gibbs looked at Alex and, at the boy's nod, said, "We've gotten caught in something."

"SCORPIA." Alex mumbled to Jack's puzzled glance at him.

Jack froze; she _had_ heard about Alex's dealings with the terrorist group. But MI6 had told them to leave Alex alone. Why were they targeting him again?

Gibbs noticed the movement. "We received a threatening note. Alex was the addressee."

Now Jack knew what was going on. Before either boy or man could say anything, she crossed her arms. "Don't even think about it Alex."

Alex stood up. "I need to get them off of NCIS's back. I need to know what's going on!"

"So you can get injured again? Or killed? Not on my watch, Alex. I care too much about you. After this business with Ark Angel, the doctors told you to _stay put_ ; not look for more danger!"

Alex said nothing. He looked away from Jack, towards the kitchen. "I'm hungry." He said abruptly.

Jack looked at Gibbs, imploring him to do something. She knew that Alex didn't really want to upset her, but he sure was beginning to _scare_ her.

"Alex," Gibbs said, standing up. "How about you stay here for the next few days?"

At that, Alex turned and broke into a wide smile. "May I?"

Gibbs realized that, with keeping Alex here, he could have Jack watch him and make sure he didn't try to chase after SCORPIA. At the same time, Alex could still visit HQ and help out with case, to some extent. He nodded.

"Thank you Gibbs."

Alex walked into the kitchen.

Jack turned to Gibbs. "Thank you too."

Gibbs waved her thanks away. "Alex needs protection. " he whispered, so that Alex wouldn't overhear him. " Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Jack smiled. "Will do, sir!"

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Alex made sure that he hadn't been followed into the kitchen before he pulled out the device.

He was glad that he had been allowed to keep the iPod-like gadget that Smithers had given him. What was even better was that Jack didn't know about it. Alex turned it on, put the buds in his ears, and held it in the direction of the living room, all the while keeping his back turned.

"…Alex needs protection," he heard Gibbs say, "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

So that's what this was. Alex was right to suspect something was up with Gibbs when he suggested letting Alex stay at the house. He was letting Jack spy for him!

Putting the device back in his pocket, he opened the cupboard under the pretense of looking for a snack, all the while thinking of what he would do next. One thing was for sure, though:

Jack was right. He wasn't getting anybody else killed doing it.

 


	11. Absolute Zero

As soon as Gibbs had left the Starbright home, he drove straight back to HQ. His team was waiting for him.

"Good news boss," Tony said, running up to his boss as Gibbs stepped out of the elevator, "McProspector's struck gold."

"I checked Malkey's phone records. In the past three days, he's made three calls to a number under Cartwright's name." McGee said after shooting a glare at Tony.

"Trace it."

A few seconds later, a dial tone rang throughout the bullpen, coming from McGee's computer.

"Hello?" A feminine voice answered.

Gibbs had been surprised. For a second, he'd almost expected no-one to answer. "Janice Cartwright, This is Special Agent Gibbs."

There was a pause, "NCIS?" Janice asked. She paused, then laughed, "I thought you would call…My boss has a message for Alex."

Gibbs looked to McGee. The agent mouthed ' _Almost_ ' back. Gibbs needed to keep her talking.

"Alex isn't here." Gibbs said, "What do you want from him?"

"My boss wants him dead, simple as that," her voice turned audibly poisonous, "Tell Alex: 'This time, we will not miss.'"

Then, she hung up. Gibbs looked to McGee expectantly but guilt was written all over his agent's face.

"Sorry boss, not enough time."

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Alex was avoiding Jack, eating a small lunch and then escaping to the confines of his room. He stayed there, throwing a tennis ball, thinking hard. Somehow, the metronome _thump, thump, thump_ of the ball hitting the wall was calming him down and he needed to be calm to think straight. Alex didn't know what to do about SCORPIA, and that frustrated him the most. There were bits and pieces of the murders that he understood, and some that he didn't. Why was SCORPIA playing this dying game? Didn't Blunt tell them to back off? Why are they so complacent about having Janice be so traceable? He hated   having bits and pieces of a puzzle, but not the complete picture.

Gibbs had called him from HQ to tell Alex that they had found more information on Janice Cartwright, if that was her real name. Gibbs didn't want to mention the call so he stayed clear of any indication that there was contact involved. He didn't think the message would evoke a positive reaction from the boy.

"Apparently, she was James Malkey's fiancée; we found papers. She doesn't seem to be trying hard to stay hidden."

"Which means, either she'll turn up dead soon, or SCORPIA doesn't think she'll talk," Alex had muttered into the phone dejectedly. "They're not going to leave any loose ends."

"Don't assume anything. Always check your facts."

"What?"

"It's a personal rule."

"From what I know of them, it's still pretty likely."

"We'll just have to get to her first," Gibbs had replied. Alex heard the man pause before he continued talking, "Don't think of doing anything stupid, Alex."

Gibbs had sounded as worn as Alex felt. "I'm not going to do anything."

"Because you truly _won't_ , or because you _can't_?" Gibbs asked. When he didn't get a reply, he sighed, "If you want, I'll be there in twenty." He had hung up without saying goodbye.

Alex now stared at the clock; five minutes had passed since Gibbs' call. The small room suddenly felt cramped and suffocating. Alex pushed open the window and looked into the enclosed backyard below him.

Fifteen minutes later, Alex heard the doorbell ring.

Downstairs, Jack opened the door to find Gibbs standing on the doorstep. "Alex called you?" she suspected, opening the door wider. Why would Alex want to talk to Gibbs only a few hours after he left?

"No," Gibbs said curtly, "I called him."

Alex, hearing Gibbs' heavy footfalls in the living room, got dressed quickly and hurried downstairs. Gibbs greeted him with a short nod that answered the boy's unasked question.

_Nothing, yet._

They arrived at NCIS headquarters to find the team hard at work, but Alex looked at each face and saw that they were exhausted. Tony looked up from his computer and waved at Alex. "Hey dude," he called.

Alex returned the wave and went to sit at Gibbs' desk.

"We've tried tracing the call again and again but she keeps hanging up."

"Hmmm…" Gibbs looked at Alex.

"Where's the hope she'll call us this time?" Tony joked.

"This time?" Alex said, perking up, "What do you mean? You've been in contact with her already?" Alex looked at Gibbs accusingly, "Gibbs…"

Gibbs turned to Tony and slapped the back of his head.

"Were you able to trace the call?" Alex asked. _Finally_ , he thought, _they weren't at a dead end anymore._

He was greatly disappointed when McGee shook his head. "She hung up before we had time."

"Did she say anything?"

"She had a message for you, Alex," Gibbs said, watching for a reaction, "She said, 'This time, we will not miss.'"

Alex knew exactly what the threat meant and felt his heart push against his ribs, against his stitches, almost as if it was trying to escape. _This time, we will not miss._ He saw, in everyone's eyes, that they knew what it meant too. He could also see that they were waiting for his reaction.

"Gibbs?" he asked, looking for help.

Gibbs glanced down at Alex, his face blank. "We'll make sure nothing happens to you. Rule #16: If someone thinks they have the upper hand…break it!"

Thinking about it, Alex realized that he couldn't have put it any better.

 


	12. Incognito

Gibbs, eager to leave the tension in the room, muttered something about visiting Ducky and Abby before walking out of the room. Alex, with a smile, noticed that, as Gibbs left, he carried a large cup of Caf-Pow!; it was a sign that Gibbs wanted answers and Alex was momentarily reassured by that.

Alex began pacing, lost in thought. Janice Cartwright had called NCIS with the intention to speak to him. To give him a message: _This time we will not miss._

_Let the games begin._

The game. This was the game. Gibbs was right, SCORPIA thought they had the upper hand, trying to scare him into a paranoid child. More mistakes are made while angry or frightened, Alex knew that well. If only he could have been there when she had called...

Suddenly, Alex stopped pacing and turned to face Tony and Ziva. "At least _blink_ once in a while, seriously!"

Caught red-handed, both agents blushed and ducked behind their computer screens. "It's kind of distracting having you parade back and forth in front of us, that's all." Tony said defensively.

"I'm not _parading_ ," Alex said, "I'm _thinking_."

Tony and Ziva exchanged glances. "Alex," Ziva said, "Don't let Janice's…message…sink in. SCORPIA is only trying to scare you."

Alex had a flash of annoyance at the implication that he didn't know that already. He looked down at his scarred knuckles. "I just hate being at a standstill!"

"Then you'll love me for this."

Alex jumped and spun around as Gibbs strode past him. Tony chuckled.

"I love it when he takes other people by surprise." Alex heard Tony say to Ziva.

Gibbs, however, ignored his agents and continued speaking, "Abby analyzed the fingerprint from the envelope and found bits of rust."

Rust? Alex thought, _why would she…_

All at once, it came to him. "The warehouse."

"Where Baudin was sniped?" McGee asked.

Alex nodded. "The building was old right? But it was similar to the other buildings in the area. They all had large, metal double doors."

"But there weren't any doors leading into the building," Tony said, puzzled, "They were removed."

"Yeah but the frame was still there. Metal doors of that size require metal frames; those would have rusted. Let's just say that Janice didn't know what she was getting into. Let's just say that she receives a message to meet at an abandoned meeting. She goes, uncertain. What do you do when you're entering a building that you're nervous to enter?"

The agents looked at each other, but only Gibbs answered Alex, seeing where the boy's train of thought was headed, "You lean against the door, but—."

"Exactly!" Alex was getting excited, but could see that the other agents were skeptical. "Just check it out at least."

"The theory…makes a _little_ sense." Ziva said.

"But if I'm right…" Alex said.

"It could be a trap." Tony offered, "This whole thing is almost like a treasure hunt. Y'know, go to this place to find the next clue. Or in this case, a threatening message."

Alex thought. "The message by Malkey's bedside led us to Invisible Sword. I wouldn't have thought of that if it wasn't for the note. It could have also been a clue. Before, I was thinking that Janice's fingerprint was proof that she was disposable to SCORPIA, that they didn't care if she got caught. But what if it was left on purpose? Not only to find out who she is but _where_ she is."

Tony, Ziva, and McGee looked at Gibbs, who shrugged. "It holds water. It could also explain why, when she called, she said she was expecting us to call."

"We could look into it." McGee said.

"If it all comes to nothing, no harm done, right?" Alex said.

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Fifteen minutes later, two black cars were driving through afternoon traffic, headed back to the old crime scene; Alex was riding with Gibbs and Tony while Ziva and McGee occupied the other vehicle.

"You're sure about this, kid?" Tony asked.

Alex hesitated before nodding. "My theories make sense if you understand the evil plots I've had to deal with."

"Like Ark Angel?"

"Yeah."

Tony expected Alex to elaborate, but the boy stayed silent on the backseat. "Do you ever wish you weren't…y'know…a spy?"

It was funny that Tony had to ask the one question where the answer was "every day". Alex, as a kid, had barely thought of being a spy. He loved James Bond, like some kids might. But he never had expected to be dragged into the same world. He missed going to school. He missed the fun times with Jack. He missed his friend, Tom Harris. But he wasn't about to pour his heart into Tony DiNozzo.

"Sometimes," was Alex's untruthful answer.

They arrived at the abandoned building minutes later.

As Alex and the team approached the black hole that led into the building—the sun's futile attempt at brightening the area—Alex suddenly had the feeling that something was wrong. Not their location; the fresh footprints in the dirt proved that he had been right. No. It wasn't anything to do with being _here_ , more like something wrong with _being_ here. Not that that made much sense to Alex. It was just a feeling.

The small team walked down to the end of the hall, where the doors were closed. Looking through the window, Alex saw a figure standing with its back turned to them.

"Stay back, Alex." Gibbs said. He didn't want another incident like when they were capturing Baudin.

"NCIS! Hands up Janice!" Ziva shouts as she opens the door.

Janice is silent for a second. Then she turns around.

Alex is shocked and unnerved to see a smile on her face. "Right on time." She said sneakily.

"What do you mean?" Gibbs asked sternly.

Janice ignored him. Spotting Alex, she called. "Ha! You're here too."

"Yes...I am." Alex frowned.

Janice barely noticed while Tony proceeded in handcuffing her, all the while smiling at Alex. Gibbs noticed this. _Why was she so calm about this?_ Gibbs was suddenly very afraid for Alex. Even though Alex didn't look like he was in immediate danger but…

"Take me away, its fine." Janice said. "I'm not needed anymore, I've done my job for SCORPIA."

"And what's that?" Alex asked. He couldn't help himself.

"I'm only a messenger."

"So…what's your message?" Alex asked. He was both curious and frightened to hear the answer.

Janice smirked. "Do you know how it feels to lose someone you love? I do, with James. I was to be married to him. But I had to kill him. Otherwise, SCORPIA was going to kill me."

"You weren't a part of this?"

"No. James dragged me into that world." Sadness flickered in Janice's eyes before she smiled again, a more haunted smile than the one before. "Do you know how it feels to lose those you love? Those close to you?"

"Well, I…"

Alex's eyes widened. _No!_ he thought. All of a sudden, he knew why they were there. Why it was wrong for them to be there. Janice was meant to be there, but she was a red herring.

_Do you know how it feels to lose those you love?_

Jack.

Alex didn't realize he was running until Gibbs was beside him, then in front of him, blocking his path.

"Alex, what is it?" Gibbs asked, concerned. Whatever Alex understood from what Janice had said had really scared him.

Alex was frantic. "We need to get to Jack's house! Right away!"

"We'll take Janice back to HQ, boss." McGee said, running from behind. Tony and Ziva were dragging Janice with them.

Gibbs nodded and led Alex to the car, or rather, Alex led him; he was desperate to go.

Of course, it had been a clever plan. Alex didn't want to believe it, but Gibbs had been right. Alex had led them to the right place but it had been a trap. Luring Alex from Jack's house with the news of Janice's identity, then luring them to the building. Janice was the biggest red herring that Alex had ever encountered. He just hoped he wasn't too late.

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Alex was out of Gibbs' car and running up the front path before the car had even stopped.

"Alex. Wait!" Gibbs shouted, but Alex didn't listen.

To Alex's horror, he found the front door unlocked. Gibbs watched as Alex leaned against the door frame before pushing himself into the house's interior was dark, even in the middle of the afternoon. The sound of the wall clock ticking broke through the silence every second, only adding to Alex's anxiousness.

"Jack!" Alex called into the darkness.

No one answered.


	13. Mobilize

_Alex was out of Gibbs' car and running up the front path before the car had even stopped._

_"Alex. Wait!" Gibbs shouted, but Alex didn't listen._

_To Alex's horror, he found the front door unlocked. Gibbs watched as Alex leaned against the door frame before pushing himself into the house. The house's interior was dark, even in the middle of the afternoon. The sound of the wall clock ticking broke through the silence every second, only adding to Alex's anxiousness._

_"Jack!" Alex called into the darkness._

_No one answered._

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Alex's heart pounded in his throat as he bounded up the stairs, nearly tripping in his haste.

"Jack!" he called again. The landing was as deserted and shadowed as the floor below except for sunlight pooling from under Jack's bedroom door. Alex heard Gibbs' footsteps from behind him, closely followed by a warm hand on his shoulder. Alex tore away from Gibbs gesture and burst into Jack's room.

It was empty.

Alex pulled out his cell phone and punched in Jack's number. _'The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected…'_

Alex collapsed onto Jack's neatly made bed, trying to hold back the tears. He would _not_ break down, not now.

Gibbs looked at the boy from the doorway and felt a bit of his heart break, just a little; he could tell, from his shaking body, that Alex was trying to contain his emotions. Gibbs pulled out his own cell and called Tony.

"We've got Ms. Cartwright in interrogation, boss," his senior agent greeted him, "Should we wait for you to come back?"

"We'll be there," Gibbs said, glancing at Alex, "Miss Starbright is missing."

"Alex's guardian?" Tony asked. To Gibbs' confirmation, he said, "That's not good. Is it SCORPIA?"

"It's the most likely explanation."

Alex's agitation was beginning to overwhelm him; he found himself walking around the room in gradually smaller circles. When he got to the point where he could only turn on the spot, he moved to the window and looked out into the street below. He could see the car he and Gibbs arrived in directly below; no other car was parked in the street however. The faint breeze coming in through the gap in the window and its sill told him that the wind had picked up a bit.

That's when he saw it; the piece of paper.

About the size of a sticky-note, it was taped to the window sill and Alex could see small black letters scribbled across it.

"Gibbs," he said turning just as Gibbs hung up. The man walked over as Alex detached the paper from its position on the window sill. It wasn't a note, though, it was an envelope; it was very thin. Expectedly, the letters on the front spelled _'Alex'_

Alex opened the envelope with shaking fingers, half afraid of what he would find inside. Imprinted on the card were four words that made Alex's heart beat faster.

_'How do you feel?'_

Alex threw the card onto the carpet and stalked out of the room. They were still playing this game, SCORPIA and him. But Alex had had enough; it was time to get to the bottom of this.

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Alex was greeted by an empty bullpen when the elevator doors finally opened but he knew where he was supposed to be going, having been in that room himself. He almost walked straight into the room when Gibbs grabbed his arm.

"We're not going in there," he said calmly, leading Alex back down the corridor, "You can't be a part of this interrogation; you're too angry right now. Let us handle this."

"I have a few questions I want to ask her."

"No," Gibbs insisted. Alex's eyes blazed into his, "We'll tell you everything she told us, okay."

Gibbs could feel the muscles in Alex's arm relax slightly. "Fine."

Without looking at Gibbs, Alex passed him and began retracing his steps. Gibbs waited until Alex had gone around the corner before he went into another room, the room behind the glass.

Unbeknownst to Gibbs, Alex still had his IPod gadget in his pocket. After seeing the expression on Gibbs' face, Alex knew that the man was reluctant to share any information that might worsen his agitation, and Alex didn't blame him—Gibbs had enough stress on his plate without having to worry about him. Still, he had to know.

As soon as he heard the door to the observation room shut, he doubled back and pressed the device to the door of the interrogation room. He pushed the headphones into his ears and listened as Tony's voice came through clearer and clearer.

"… admit to being in league with SCORPIA."

"Not by choice, mind you," Janice said calmly, "I'm a hired messenger."

"So you have no problem telling us what you know?" Tony asked.

"Are you serious? They would kill me if they found out!"

"So they kill those who betray them," Tony said, "So what's this game their playing now? Why target a sixteen year old child."

"I can't say. They don't tell me anything." Alex could hear the confidence in her voice.

"Except what you need to repeat." Tony finished.

There was a short silence before Janice continued, "They want the boy to suffer, that much I know."

"Why?"

"Revenge."

Alex's breath hitched in his throat as he realized what questions would come next, especially since this was one secret he didn't want the rest of the team to know. Gibbs was fine, he had promised not to tell and Alex trusted him.

Sure enough, "For what?" was Tony's next question.

Alex pulled the headphones out of his ears, not wanting to hear. After a few seconds, he pushed them back in.

"Did you know that this woman," Alex heard the rustling of some paper, "had gone missing?"

"Yes. I was supposed to lead you towards myself so they could take her."

Alex gritted his teeth at Janice's bluntness; she was talking as if she didn't care that she was part of a kidnapping.

"Do you know where she is?"

"No." Janice said immediately.

"Do you know why you were sent to kill your fiancé," Tony said quietly.

"No. And I don't want to." Janice replied, but all the arrogance in her voice was gone. Tony pressed on.

"Because he worked with SCORPIA and got caught. By us. SCORPIA couldn't afford to be connected to a live suspect."

"Stop." The tremor in her voice told Alex that she was trying not to cry.

"If you tell us what we need to know, maybe we could protect you."

Alex smiled. Now they were getting to the good part.

But the observation room door swung open and McGee walked out. Alex jumped back from the door as if shocked and blushed.

"Alex?" McGee asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Please don't tell Gibbs," Alex said, shoving the iPod into his pocket, "I needed to know for myself."

"How long have you been sitting there?" McGee shook his head, "Look Alex, you can't act like this is _your_ investigation-."

"It is. But if it's any consolation, I didn't hear anything I don't know already."

McGee hesitated before he nodded slowly. "That doesn't matter, but I understand why you'd want to listen in; cases get hard when they're personal. My…sister was once a suspect."

Alex was about to ask what had happened when the observation door opened once more and Ziva stepped out. She nodded to McGee and was about to walk away when she noticed Alex on the ground. Gibbs followed her and, then, three pairs of eyes were trained on Alex, making him blush harder.

Alex stood up as Gibbs motioned for him to follow the team,

"Tony will catch up when he's done. Alex, we need to talk."


	14. Present Arms

This was exactly the kind of confrontation that Alex had been trying to avoid.

McGee and Ziva led Alex and Gibbs back down the hallway back to the bullpen and, the entire while, Gibbs firmly gripped Alex's shoulder. Alex had the feeling that Gibbs knew that he had been eavesdropping and couldn't bring himself to look up into the older man's face. Once they arrived back at the familiar office space, McGee rounded on him.

"Alex," he began, clearing his throat, "We know you're upset about Jack's kidnapping and we're doing our best to find her but, if there's anything related to the case that you might know that could help, now would be a good time to tell us."

Instantly knowing what _kind_ of information they wanted, Alex looked up at Gibbs imploringly. Maybe Gibbs could tell his agents to back off for him. Gibbs, however, shook his head.

"A life is at stake now Alex," he explained, "We don't know what would be useful to track these guys down and, well, your information could help us."

Alex's eyes swept over each agent's face and sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"SCORPIA doesn't do this kind of thing; trying to stay fairly low-key is a big part of their organization so I don't understand what this whole game is for."

"Janice Cartwright said that they want revenge," McGee said, "For something you did to injure them. Janice wasn't specific but you know what she's talking about."

Alex couldn't help but laugh at that, "Well I wouldn't say _injure_ …"

"What did you do?" Gibbs prompted. The boy had never actually told him what he had done. What could a sixteen year old boy do to have a terrorist organization against him?

Alex looked at his feet. "I didn't just betray them," he was mostly speaking to Gibbs, "I killed their leader as well."

"Killed!"

"Well… _responsible_ for her death."

Alex didn't look up; he couldn't. Here he was, blurting things that he shouldn't to NCIS agents he met only days previously. He wondered what made him trust them so much.

Thankfully, before any more questions could be asked, Tony arrived with his notes in his hands. "She clammed up, boss. But not before saying something like 'look at the card'."

"I need coffee," Gibbs sighed. As he walked away, he added, "Make sure Alex doesn't go anywhere near interrogation."

Alex looked up at the agents staring at him, preparing himself for the bombardment; he could count down in his head: 3…2…1…

"Why is SCORPIA so interested in you, kid." That was Tony.

"Apparently, he killed their leader." Ziva replied for Alex.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up. James Bond Junior _killed_ someone?"

Alex shot Tony a glare at the nickname, "I think we already got that."

"How did you get involved with them in the first place?"

Alex was beginning to wish that Gibbs would come back from his coffee run soon, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

"I don't want to say."

The agents exchanged glances and shrugged. They knew they couldn't ask Gibbs because all he would say is that it wasn't his secret to tell, and if Alex wasn't talking, it might as well follow him to the grave. Especially if it's classified information that they couldn't just look up, even with McGee's skills.

It was then that Abby walked in, looking excited.

"Where's Gibbs!" she asked after spotting his empty desk, "He needs to hear this!"

"And what are we?" Tony asked, crossing his arms.

Abby rolled her eyes, "Fine. Guess what I found?" she was holding the _Get Well Soon_ card in her gloved right hand. Alex looked at it and shuddered, remembering the night he had received it, as well as the threatening message it held.

"I re-read the message, thinking it was odd that they would just tell you what they did to Malkey. But then I got it." She waved the card in front of Tony's face, "Invisible ink."

What? Alex thought. There was more to the message? Something they probably wanted only him to see.

"The best weapon is always unexpected, almost invisible." Ziva muttered, "It has a double meaning; they weren't just talking about Malkey, they were talking about Jack as well. Kidnapping her was both unexpected and an effective weapon."

Alex thought of the message at Jack's house: _How do you feel?_ It infuriated him to think that they had been planning everything from the beginning. They already knew how he would feel.

"What does the message say?"

With a final flourish, Abby showed everyone in the bullpen the word written in blue underneath that definitely hadn't been there before:

Romano

Alex was heading for the elevator before any of the other agents could turn around.

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Alex knew, too late, that when the elevator doors opened, he would have no way of actually getting to Romano's. He would walk if he remembered the way but, since he didn't, he decided to wait for Tony, McGee, and Ziva to catch up with him.

So Alex was surprised to find, when he got there, Gibbs leaning against his car, sipping a hot cup of coffee.

"How did you know I'd be out here?" Alex asked.

Gibbs shrugged, "I didn't. I guessed, when Tony repeated what Janice had said. What I don't know is what it said."

"Romano." Alex breathed out, "I'm guessing it means Romano's Bar, where Leon Peters was killed—"

"And you want to settle this, once and for all." Gibbs finished for him. It wasn't a question, but a statement. Gibbs saw the fire in Alex's eyes and knew he was right.

"If they've got Jack, then yes."

"I can't let you get hurt," Gibbs said, "You're under my protection."

"I can take care of myself," Alex said, "Please! I've dealt with these guys before." He saw the hesitance in Gibbs' face, "I'm not planning on going in alone."

"You stay behind me." Gibbs said firmly. Alex saw that he wouldn't get anywhere by disagreeing with him so he nodded.

Gibbs narrowed his eyes at Alex and opened the car door. Alex jumped in and the two males sped off just as Ziva, Tony, and McGee came; they were just in time to see the black car turn a corner and out of sight.

"Oh no he didn't," Tony gasped, "He went far enough as to hotwire a car?"

Ziva rolled her eyes and hit him, "Did you not see Gibbs behind the wheel? They must be going to Romano's."

"Are we going to follow them?" McGee asked.

Three agents looked at each other and dashed to Tony's car.

 


	15. Take Aim

The usually busy street was eerily quiet that afternoon, Alex noticed, as the car wheels crunched to a stop at the curb. The car ride had been silent, both males had been thinking furiously about what they would do once they arrived at the bar. Gibbs, of course, was worried for Alex's safety. So far, Alex had proved to him that he was capable of handling himself—if he wasn't, he wouldn't be alive right now, in the seat beside him—but things were getting serious now that an innocent life was involved. If they acted hastily, this whole confrontation might end with Alex's or Jack's deaths.

As he expected, as soon as he had pulled up to the curb, Alex jumped out and rushed to the door. As he stepped out himself, Gibbs noticed the boy pause, unsure.

"You okay?" Gibbs asked as he walked to the boy's side.

"Yeah," Alex said, shaking off his hesitancy, laughing nervously, "I was just thinking, this is a nice place to choose to meet, right? To finish it where it all started?"

Gibbs knew that wasn't the real reason that Alex had hesitated but he laughed along with him anyway. He noticed a sheet of paper taped to the top right-hand corner of the door. Reaching up and pulling it off, he examined it.

The paper looked like plain A4, rather tattered at the edge like it was torn from a larger sheet, but nothing else to say where it came from. It said 'Single Admittance Only'. Gibbs doubted that they would find any evidence later.

Alex read the note and looked up at Gibbs. "I…I think they want me to go in alone."

"Well, there's no chance of that." Gibbs said, "I'm coming with you."

"If they've got Jack, and they see you, they might kill her! That is not a risk I want to take." Alex turned and reached out to open the door. Gibbs grabbed his shoulder.

"If you go in without protection, they might shoot you." Gibbs hissed, "At least I have a gun. Let me go in."

Alex shook his head, "If they wanted to kill me, they would have by now; we're standing out here in the open. They want to talk, or make a bargain, or whatever; they wouldn't kill me."

"Yet." Gibbs reminded him. But Alex shook his head once more and pushed open the door. Gibbs watched as Alex walked forward and was consumed by the darkness of the bar.

The sound of crunching tires made Gibbs turn around to see his team pull up behind his car with Tony at the wheel. They all jumped out with their hands hovering over their holsters, ready to draw if there was any danger.

"Where is he?" Ziva asked.

"He's gone in."

Tony scoffed, "And you just _let_ him?"

Gibbs shot Tony an annoyed look, "We need to find another way in. There's no way I'm just going to stand here and wait for something to go wrong. I don't care what he says!"

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Despite reassuring Gibbs that he would be fine, Alex made sure to tread carefully as he made his way across the dingy bar. He crinkled his nose at the lingering smell of alcohol as he looked around. Where was he supposed to go? Would they be upstairs, out of sight from anyone who would happen to walk in or hide out in the back room, where everything had started?

Deciding to start at the back room, he opened the door and cringed as he spotted the dried pool of blood, soaked into the wooden floor. A creak to his right alerted him to the back of the room, where a man was leaning back in a chair propped up against the wall, letting the front two legs swing rigidly but never touching the ground. He gazed at Alex lazily from behind dark sunglasses. He was also pointing a gun at Alex.

"You're alone?" he asked Alex. His voice was deep and slightly accented, "And unarmed?"

"Are you?" Alex countered sarcastically.

The man didn't answer. Instead, he fired once, barely missing Alex's head. A bullet was now buried in the wall behind him. The man then stood up and leaned against the pool table, staring at Alex all the while. 

"Alex Rider," he said slowly, as if tasting his name, rolling the 'R's, "If my orders weren't to keep you alive, I wouldn't have missed."

"Where's Jack." Alex said bluntly, ignoring the threat. He was quickly getting tired of this game.

The man started drumming his fingers on the table, "Wouldn't you like to know?" he teased.

Alex clenched his fists, "What was the point of all this? Running circles around each other?"

"No," the man said, " _We're_  the only ones running circles around _you_."

"Where is she?" Alex snapped.

The man squinted at Alex, "She's dead."

"Liar!"

The man tapped the gun, reminding Alex to the continuous threat in front of him. "She will be if you haven't come alone. I suggest that any backup you have from NCIS leave immediately," he said, raising his voice. He waited a few seconds before saying, "You're interference here has made what was supposed to be a simple disposal more difficult."

"You mean Leon Peters, your agent? Is that all he is: garbage to be disposed of?"

"Essentially, yes," the man said, raising his hand. Wary, Alex stepped back. "But we also decided to use you to our advantage. Use you as an…experiment…of sorts." He stopped for a second before spitting out, "Upstairs."

"What?"

"We have bigger plans for you Alex Rider. My superiors told me to keep you alive," the look on his face showed that he didn't agree with them at all, "This is only the beginning of our vengeance; one that we guarantee you will not escape from."

Alex blinked, confused, "Wait. This was all some ruse to mess with me? You murdered three men and kidnapped my guardian, just for some _experiment_?!" Alex felt like he was missing something big. This was not how SCORPIA operated, was it? During this whole ordeal, Alex had realized that even though he had infiltrated the organization, he didn't really understand it at all.

The man must have read the expression on his face because he chuckled and said, "Oh, don't worry Alex. We're letting you go this time to destroy you another time. Be grateful now, but be wary. SCORPIA never forgives, just as we never forget, and _we will not miss_. Now, before I go…"

Alex had been defensive from the beginning of the confrontation, ready for an attack. The man's speed, however, caught him off guard and he quickly found himself on the ground, the man's heavy boot driving into his stomach over and over. Alex couldn't move, having pinned himself against the wall; he could only try to block as many blows as possible.

When the man finished his assault, he stepped back to look at the battered boy on the ground. "That was just to satisfy you. I know that you were disappointed with this turnout."

Alex couldn't disagree with that but he would prefer anything other than a bruised stomach, chest, or the few ribs he might have broken. Still, he reassured himself, it could have been worse.

As the man left the room, Alex hoped that Gibbs was waiting outside, ready to apprehend the man before he got away, but he doubted that the man would put up a fight if he was. He was a messenger, just like the other SCORPIA agents involved in this mess. His job was done so there was no need to be aggressive. Alex knew that, if interrogated, the man would be less talkative than Janice.

As he clutched his stomach and heard the usual, "NCIS, put your weapon down," to confirm his thoughts, Alex sighed, dread still lingering in his heart. This was the end for now but, as the man had said, he would need to be wary. He wasn't looking forward to what was going to happen to him, or anyone around him—with SCORPIA, he knew it wouldn't be good— and didn't want to put them in any more danger.

He saw Gibbs in the doorway, who immediately ran to help Alex, "What happened?!"

Alex shook his head, "Upstairs," he wheezed out, "Check upstairs." There was a slim chance that the SCORPIA agent would just tell him where Jack was being held, but Alex knew that there was no need. Jack would be found, they would go home, recover, only for SCORPIA to kill Alex later. He knew that he was where they wanted him, confused and kept guessing by the situation. They had him slightly off guard which, Alex knew, was all they needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this confrontation seemed a bit anticlimatic; I was just setting this story up for the inevitability that is 'SCORPIA Rising'.


	16. Fire

When Gibbs had heard the shot, he was half afraid that the plan had gone wrong; that Alex was lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. He tensed but forced himself to stay where he was, just inside the rear entrance of the bar. Tony was behind him, gun out at his side and ready.

"Do we go in?" Tony whispered. Gibbs hesitated, but shook his head.

"No. Let's wait." Gibbs could still hear voices coming from the room twenty feet from them. One of those voices was Alex's— he was still alive.

Ton caught the hesitation in his boss' voice. He knew how protective Gibbs had gotten over Alex in the past few days. In a way, they all had too. He, personally, was still trying to get over the fact that Alex, a teenager, was a spy for MI6. The boy had told them that he was sixteen—Tony remembered that he himself had been a Bond fanatic at that age—and that he could take care of himself, but Tony couldn't imagine it.

Gibbs could only think about how, if Alex _did_ get killed, it would be his fault. No matter what Alex had said about being a spy who had survived man missions and that he could take care of himself and hold his own in a fight, Gibbs knew that he was only consoling himself. He knew that Alex knew that any mission could be his last or that he could die at any time as Gibbs knew his sniper wound was constantly reminding him. He admired Alex's bravery and didn't want the boy to die on his watch.

Both NCIS agents were jarred from their thoughts as they heard Alex cry out. With guns ready, they both rushed to the door as a tall figure holding a gun emerged.

It definitely wasn't Alex.

"NCIS," Ton immediately shouted, "Put your weapon down."

The figure turned, dropping the gun to the floor, face blank. Gibbs only spared him a glance before moving past him into the room.

There was Alex, lying on the ground, clutching his stomach. Gibbs felt a stab of anger towards the anonymous man as he saw Alex on the ground. He ran to help Ale up, but the boy waved him off. "What happened?!"

"Upstairs," Alex coughed out. He rolled over onto his stomach and tried to push himself up, gritting his teeth against the pain, "Check upstairs."

Gibbs heard Ziva and McGee cone through the front door, guns ready. "Where's Alex?" Ziva asked.

"In there," Gibbs replied as he headed for the stairs leading up to the abandoned apartment above, "Take care of him!"

The door at the top of the stairs was locked and he had to force his way through the old wood. There were a few rooms beyond—living quarters. Why would Alex want him to come up here? The first room was empty except for a table in front of a dingy window. The only view was the side of the building next door and the dust on the window and table told Gibbs that nobody had occupied this room for a very long time.

In the next room, he found Jack Starbright.

The young woman mumbled her thanks as Gibbs undid her bonds. Her eyes were wide and alert, but she looked exhausted. Gibbs could only imagine what she had gone through.

"It's okay," he assured her, leading her out of the room, "You're safe now."

"Where's Alex?" she whispered and Gibbs chuckled. Even after her whole ordeal, she was only worried about Alex.

He led her down the stairs and handed her off to McGee. "Get her to a hospital. Where's Alex?"

"I'm here." Gibbs turned to find the boy emerging from the back room. He was clutching his chest and clearly in pain, but standing. He smiled weakly at Gibbs.

"How'd I do?"

Gibbs heard Tony laugh behind him. "Invincible, are you?" Gibbs joked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah," Alex replied, wincing. His expression changed, "I don't have to go to the hospital too, do I?"

Gibbs smiled at Alex's imploring took, "No. You're not so bad but just in case, we'll have Ducky patch you up."

xxxAlexNCISxxx

Alex sometimes found ceilings interesting, if he was bored. They held mazes for him to imagine solving, contours to trace with his eyes, or stains to pull images from. Every night for at least an hour before falling asleep, if he even fell asleep at all, he would just stare up at the ceiling above his bed and connect, or count the number of, dots above his head. He was soundly disappointed, now, to find that the ceiling of Ducky's morgue was completely blank and boring; there was nothing to distract him from the pain as Ducky examined and treated his cut and bruised chest. The anonymous SCORPIA agent, thankfully, hadn't broken his ribs when he kicked Alex, but Alex felt like he'd just crashed down to earth _again_.

"You're very lucky, m'boy," Ducky said, handing Alex back his shirt after bandaging his wounds and giving him painkillers, "It could have been much worse. But I would recommend that you don't have any more adventures for some time."

"Don't worry," Alex smiled back, "When I get back home, resting is all I'll be doing." He slid off the table and shook Ducky's hand, "It was nice meeting you Ducky."

"And you, Alex." Ducky said, "Take care of yourself. Try not to get yourself shot again."

Alex smiled and walked out of the morgue, rubbing his chest, still sore despite painkillers that Ducky had given him. He knew that, when Ducky had first met him, his sniper wound wouldn't have gone unchecked, that Ducky hadn't bought his 'cycling accident' story. Yet, when Gibbs had asked, Ducky hadn't said anything about it; he'd saved Alex from an extra set of awkward questions, and Alex was grateful.

Gibbs was waiting just outside the door. As Alex emerged from the morgue, he glanced down at him and was relieved to see that Alex looked better.

"Case closed?" Alex asked.

"Case closed." Gibbs was glad of it too, after almost a week on edge.

"It would have been over ages ago if it wasn't for me," Alex said, guiltily, as they walked, "It was supposed to be a quick assassination, to get rid of Peters. Things only escalated once SCORPIA realized I was involved. It's my fault that two more men are dead."

"But you couldn't have known that." Gibbs reminded him.

Alex nodded slowly and stared straight ahead, "How's Jack?"

"Hospital says that she's dehydrated and in shock. She shouldn't be in there for more than a day or two."

"Are you interrogating the man I met with?"

Gibbs nodded, "DiNozzo's in there with him now. But we both know he won't talk, right?"

Alex nodded again, "His job's done but he can't betray SCORPIA. I actually wouldn't be surprised if he's killed any time in the future."

"If not, he's going to jail for a very long time," Gibbs paused, "Are you going to notify MI6 or the CIA about this?"

"I might. Just so they know I'm being threatened again."

Alex took a step into the bullpen before he suddenly found himself in a very tight hug. It was Abby. "Oh, thank god you're okay," he heard her say as she squeezed the air out of his lungs, "I was so worried when I heard that you had gotten injured."

"He was," Gibbs said. Alex could hear the amusement in his voice, "He had a bruised chest. A very bruised chest."

"Yeah," Alex piped up, "I'm not in as much pain as before but, please, don't break my ribs as well."

Abby froze and let go of Alex when she realized what she was doing as the other agents began laughing. Alex moved over to Tony's empty desk and sat in his chair. He looked around the bullpen and thought about what the SCORPIA agent had told him: _'This is only the beginning of our vengeance; one that we guarantee you will not escape from.'_

They knew that he was pretty shaken up by their actions in the last few days. If this was just the beginning, Alex couldn't even begin to imagine what they had in store for him next time they crossed paths. What scared him more, though, was the fact that they had no qualms about abducting Jack _this_ time around. For her sake more than his, he really hoped that it had been an empty threat; something that would rile him up and put him on edge.

He doubted it.

 


	17. Epilogue - Mission Accomplished

It was a small sign of gratitude that the team went to see Alex off at the airport three days later. In spite of themselves, the team had grown fond of the kid and genuinely wanted to wish him luck, especially since they knew he would need it in the future. They wouldn't have been allowed either, if it wasn't for the boy's involvement in the case; once Byrne had found out what had happened, he insisted that Alex needed escorts—but of course they weren't going to tell Alex that.

So that was how Gibbs found himself, not enjoying a coffee at HQ, but standing back, watching Abby squeeze the life out of Alex as the others chuckled in amusement. Jack Starbright was standing off to the side, smiling, from a distance, at the gesture. Gibbs could tell she was still shaken and recuperating from her ordeal and probably wouldn't be fine for a few more days. She, however, insisted that she was fine and that she and Alex needed to get back home. She had stated that it was because Alex had had enough adventure and that the only way they would both get rest was back in Chelsea— Gibbs couldn't agree with her more.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Abby," Alex was gasping out. He pried himself from her grip and turned to the other agents, "Thank you guys. For everything."

Tony waved a hand, "No biggie. Just don't get yourself killed."

"Stay strong, little soldier. "Ziva said.

Alex smiled at them all and turned to Jack. "Go ahead," she said, "I just want to say something."

Alex picked up his bags and, with a last glance at the team, headed through the gate. When Alex had turned the corner, Jack Starbright turned to the agents.

"I never got to thank you properly," she said, shaking Gibbs' hand, "So, thanks. Without you guys, Alex probably would have gotten killed."

Gibbs nodded mutely, but Tony spoke up.

"Still, he's not bad for a sixteen year old kid," Tony said, "He held up pretty well back there." He winced as Gibbs slapped the back of his head and added quickly, "Not like we're going to use him again, right boss? Cause that would be dangerous."

Jack turned to him, confused, "Sixteen? Is that what he told you guys?"

Gibbs took one look at her tight expression and knew something was up, "He's not sixteen." He looked at the empty gate where the blond-haired boy had walked through. _How could we have not seen this?_ He thought to himself. Of course, Alex hadn't told them everything about himself, and Gibbs hadn't pushed him to tell. It just worried him that Alex felt he needed to lie since, if the situation hadn't called for it, the boy wouldn't have even been let on the case. He braced himself, "How old is he?"

Jack shook her head, "He probably didn't want to give you guys a heart attack or anything but he's fourteen."

"What!" Tony asked, immediately concerned, "And that kid's been on deadly missions?"

"I never wanted him in this," Jack sighed, "And I don't think he did either. Every day I just hope his luck doesn't run out because he certainly needs it."

Gibbs nodded, "Take care of him. He needs you too."

Jack picked up her luggage and smiled at the agents, "Thanks again."

"If you're ever in the area again, you can contact us."

Jack nodded once and left.

Tony took one look at his boss, "Coffee?"

"Coffee."

xxxAlexNCISxxx

The plane had landed at Heathrow fifteen minutes ago and Alex was collecting his luggage, watching the crowds of people walk around. Collecting bags. Greeting each other. Looking for the way out. None of them had had their vacations hijacked by a terrorist group out for them. None of them probably never will. He knew that, even though NCIS's case was solved, his wasn't; SCORPIA was back and they had made it clear that he was their next target…again.

_This time, we will not miss._

Gibbs had told him not to let it get to his head, that SCORPIA wanted him riled up and tense. But he just couldn't let it go. He wanted to tell Blunt back at MI6, to warn them, but he didn't think that would help anything. He also felt horrible for endangering Jack—she'd had no part in this.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Frowning, since he was sure he'd turned it off, he fished it out of his jacket pocket and answered.

"Hello?"

"Alex Rider," Joe Byrne's gruff voice rang from the other end, "How are you?"

"What is it, sir?" Alex knew that the CIA deputy would not call him unless he wanted something.

"There's a flight ready for you to take you to an SAS base—."

"Wait? What?!" Alex couldn't believe it, "I just got back from DC, and you're sending me somewhere else?"

"This is SCORPIA, Alex. They've struck."

"Why me?"

"Why not?" Byrne responded, "You've dealt with them recently. You know more about them than most."

"Which is none at all, "Alex muttered. He stood silently for a second before sighing. "I can't believe I'm doing this, but, alright." Jack wouldn't be happy that he had just accepted another mission. He couldn't believe he was doing this. Especially since he'd just decided that he was going to _avoid_ anything SCORPIA-related.

"Besides," Byrne was saying, "Don't you want to finish this once and for all? Get them before they get you?"

Alex wanted to tell Byrne that there wasn't much chance of that happening, but the last thing he wanted was Byrne contacting Blunt and then having both of them on his tail.

"C'mon," Byrne said, half joking, "You always pull through anyway."

"But for how much longer," Alex replied, "I don't know."

"You'll still help, though?"

"As long as I don't go in the field," Alex said, "I've had quite enough of being blown up and shot at."

"Sure." The response was so quick, Alex was sure Byrne was lying through his teeth.

"Where am I going? He asked.

Byrne paused for a second before responding, "Australia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you go. This was written to lead straight into 'Snakehead'. Hope you all enjoyed it!


End file.
